Emirates firms up $8.8 billion order for 30 Boeing 787s at 2019 Dubai Airshow

Dubai: Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has signed a full purchase agreement for 30 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, worth $8.8 billion at list prices, at the Dubai Airshow 2019.

Under its agreement with Boeing, Emirates has exercised its right to substitute the B777x with B787s, the company said.

This deal includes Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with deliveries commencing in May 2023 and continuing for the next five years.

For the B777X, Emirates will enter into discussions with Boeing over the next few weeks on the status of deliveries. This takes Emirates’ total order with Boeing to 126 aircraft.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive, signed the agreement with Stanley Deal, President and Chief Executive Officer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Including the $16 billion Airbus A350 order on Monday, this latest announcement takes the total value of Emirates’ firm aircraft commitments at the 2019 Dubai Airshow to $24.8 billion.

“I am pleased to announce a firm order for 30 Boeing Dreamliners. This is an important investment and addition to our future fleet and network requirements, providing us the agility, flexibility and spread of seat segments when it comes to overall capacity to serve a range of destinations as we develop and grow our global route network,” Shaikh Ahmed said.

“The 787s will complement our fleet mix by expanding our operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment to connect new city pairs and expand frequencies. We are also pleased to reaffirm our commitment to the Boeing 777x programme and look forward to its entry into service.”

According to Stanley Deal, the agreement solidifies Emirates’ plan to operate the 787 Dreamliner and the 777X, which make up the most efficient and most capable wide-body combination in the industry.

“It is an honour to build on our successful partnership with Emirates and continue to sustain many jobs at Boeing and our supplier partners,” he said.

Emirates has soared as a powerful engine for American aerospace manufacturing jobs.

Applying the US Department of Commerce jobs multiplier (every $1 billion in US aerospace exports supports 5,200 American jobs), this order will create and support over 45,000 additional jobs in US aerospace manufacturing – not only with Boeing, but also with the thousands of other suppliers in the value chain across the US, many of which are medium and small-sized businesses.

Emirates’ partnership with Boeing spans decades. With 155 777s in service today, Emirates is by far the largest Boeing 777 operator on the planet.

Emirates currently operates an all wide-body fleet of aircraft, comprising the iconic Airbus A380 and the popular Boeing 777.

From its hub in Dubai, the airline serves over 150 cities on six continents, offering award-winning inflight and on ground services.