Emirates Airline booked a reported $52-billion order with Boeing for a total of 95 new wide-body jets, nearly doubling its total orders with the jet-builder to 205 new aircraft. The carrier ordered 55 new 777-9 aircraft, 35 777-8s, and five more 787 Dreamliners; it also converted a previous order for 30 787-9s to 20 7878 and 10 787-10 aircraft.
The announcement was the most significant among several orders for wide-body aircraft reported by Boeing at the opening of the annual Dubai Air Show, including 90 737 MAX jets to be supplied to SunExpress; 30 787-9 Dreamliners for flyDubai; four 787-9s for Royal Jordanian; and two 787-9s for Royal Air Maroc.
"Emirates is the biggest operator of Boeing 777 aircraft, and today's order cements that position," stated the airline’s chairman and CEO Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. "We've been closely involved in the 777 program since its start up until this latest generation of 777X aircraft. The 777 has been central to Emirates' fleet and network strategy of connecting cities on all continents non-stop to Dubai."
The 777X is the forthcoming update to Boeings long-range, twin-engine 777 series, with the first deliveries now anticipated in 2025. The new design incorporates composite wings with folding wingtips, a larger cabin and more seating capacity than the previous version, and powered by twin GE9X turbofan engines.
GE Aerospace simultaneously announced that Emirates had ordered a total of 202 GE9X engines to power the newly planned jets, as well as a long-term service package for those engines. With a listed value of $42 million, the engines for the new jets could add an estimated $8.5 billion to Emirates’ commitment.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Stan Deal called the Emirates order “an incredible vote of confidence in Boeing's highly efficient widebody family and the versatility of our 777X and 787 airplanes to meet Emirates' needs for global long-haul travel."
