Middle East carriers have led the way at the 2023 Dubai Airshow, which draws to a close on Friday.
Emirates was the biggest spender with a large order for 95 additional wide-body aircraft, including the 777X and 787, at the start of the week.
Emirates has committed to additional Boeing 777-9s, 777-8s, and 787s, worth $52 billion, “to power its growth plans, maintain a modern efficient fleet, and deliver the best flying experience to its customers”.
The carrier also placed an order for an additional 15 Airbus A350-900s, bringing Emirates’ total order book of A350s to 65 units.
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ chairman and chief executive, said: “We plan to deploy our A350s to serve a range of new markets including long-haul missions of up to 15 hours flying time from Dubai.”
Dubai orders
Sister carrier Flydubai also said it planned to purchase 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners as the airline diversifies its fleet with the introduction of wide-body aircraft for the first time.
Commenting on the announcement, Al Maktoum, who also serves as chairman of flydubai, said: “In 2008 when we placed our first ever order for 50 Boeing 737 aircraft, we were confident of the vital role flydubai would play in supporting Dubai’s aviation hub.
“Today’s order reaffirms flydubai’s commitment to enabling more people to travel across its expanding network. The highly fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner will allow flydubai to expand its horizon and cater to the growing demand on existing routes.”
Middle East strength
Turkey’s SunExpress and Egyptair were among other airlines in the region to place orders over the week.
Boeing ended the show with the upper hand, having chalked up 295 orders by the end of day 4, versus 86 for Airbus.
Aviation enthusiast Sam Chui said the airshow demonstrated that commercial aviation activity in the Middle East was “extremely strong”.
The next Dubai Airshow will take place in 2025.
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