Emirates to purchase 95 Boeing aircraft for $52 billion

Dubai, November 13

Long-haul carrier Emirates opened the Dubai Air Show with a $52-billion purchase of 95 Boeing 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 order of 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the first wide-body aircraft in its fleet. Both sales together marked a significant win for the Virginia-based Boeing Co out of the gates on the first day of the air show, as airlines appear poised for even more billion-dollar deals this year.

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 its 777-9 variants and 35 of them 777-8s.

Emirates will also add an additional five aircraft 787 Dreamliners to a previous order of 30 aircraft, Sheikh Saeed said. — AP