Day one of the Dubai Airshow has seen Boeing take big orders from Emirates, FlyDubai and SunExpress across its 737, 777X and 787 fleets.
Emirates placed a $52bn order for an additional 95 widebody aircraft – taking its total order book with Boeing to 295 aircraft. The order will “power its growth plans, maintain a modern efficient fleet, and deliver the best flying experience to its customers”, according to Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and group.
Meanwhile FlyDubai became a first-time customer for widebody aircraft as it placed an order for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, enabling the airline to “cater to the changing market and customer needs,” said CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.
SunExpress, a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, committed to purchasing up to 90 737 MAX aircraft during the first day of the airshow – 28 737-8 and 17 737-10 models, and the opportunity for up to 45 additional 737 MAX jets.
eVTOL focus
Announcements were also made in the advanced air mobility sector, with ArcosJet announcing an order for 10 Lilium Jets.
The company has been appointed an exclusive authorised dealer for private sales of the Lilium Jet in the Middle East, and customers will have access to the eVTOL aircraft when they’re delivered in 2026 and 2027.
Eve Air Mobility announced a new partnership with vertiport developer Kookiejar for its Urban air traffic management (ATM) system. Kookiejar and its local partner Air Chateau will develop networks of vertiports connected via Eve’s Urban ATM system to support a path to UAM commercialization in 2025-2026.
“Urban air mobility [UAM] relies on infrastructure within the lower air space as well as accessible take-off and landing spots – vertiports. Eve’s Urban ATM solution provides an integrated suite of software that will enable an efficient and predictable eVTOL ecosystem,” said Rob Weaver, Urban ATM global business development lead at Eve Air Mobility.
Defence innovation
Day one of Dubai Airshow also saw EDGE Group launch 11 new disruptive aerospace systems and solutions, including three autonomous aircraft.
These are the new REACH-M is a fixed-wing Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) designed for ISR and light ground attack operations; the SINYAR jet-powered aircraft developed by Poland-based manufacturer FLARIS; and the compact HT-100 multi-role unmanned performance helicopter from Swiss manufacturer ANAVIA for ISR and logistics missions.
EDGE is also showcasing eight new missile, guided munition and jammer systems at the airshow.
“We also look forward to announcing several international partnerships with companies operating across multiple domains in the defence and civilian spheres,” said Mansour Al Mulla, EDGE Group managing director and CEO.
