DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Long-haul carrier Emirates opened the Dubai Air Show on Monday with a $52 billion purchase of Boeing Co. aircraft, showing how aviation has bounced back after the groundings of the coronavirus pandemic, even as Israel’s war with Hamas clouds regional security.
Its low-cost sister airline, FlyDubai, followed up with an $11 billion order of 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the first wide-body aircraft in its fleet. Together, the sales marked a significant win for Virginia-based Boeing Co. on the first day of the air show, as airlines appear poised for even more billion-dollar deals this year.
Emirates made the announcement witnessed by the crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, at an afternoon news conference. Emirates CEO and Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the deal would see the carrier purchase 90 Boeing 777 aircraft, 55 of them 777-9 variants and 35 of them 777-8s.
Emirates will also add an additional five 787 Dreamliners to its previous order of 30 aircraft, Sheikh Saeed said.
“This is a long-term commitment that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, not only at Boeing but also throughout the global aviation supply chain,” he said. “The 777 is at the center of Emirates’ strategy to connect cities on all continents nonstop to Dubai.”
Stan Deal, an executive vice president at Boeing, praised the deal.
