Emirates Airlines on Sunday agreed to purchase 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners for $15.1 billion at list price, its chief Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said. Emirates is already the world's largest client for Boeing's 777, with 165 jets and another 164 on firm order. Sheikh Ahmed said the deal raises total outstanding orders from US aerospace giant Boeing, the global competitor of Europe's Airbus Industries, to as high as $90 billion.
Delivery of the Dreamliners is scheduled to start in 2022, he said on the first day of the Dubai Airshow. Emirates, the largest carrier in the Middle East, is also the world's biggest client for Airbus 380 superjumbo jets with 100 planes. It has firm orders for another 46 jets. "We have reached a conclusion that the Boeing 787-10 jets are the best choice for us," Sheikh Ahmed said.
"Emirates' orders today will be delivered from 2022, taking the airline well into the 2030s," he said in a statement. "Some of these will be replacements so that we maintain a young and efficient fleet, and others will power our future network growth. "We see the 787 as a great complement to our 777 and A380 fleet, providing us with more flexibility to serve a range of destinations as we develop our global route network." Boeing welcomed the deal.
"We are excited that Emirates has selected the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner to power its fleet expansion and future growth," said Kevin McAllister, head of the company's commercial aviation division. "Emirates' endorsement of the 787 Dreamliner extends our long-standing partnership and will sustain many jobs in the United States." Later, McAllister signed an agreement to sell Azerbaijan Airlines five Boeing 787-8 for a list price of around $1 billion. The carrier already has two 787-8 jets.