UAE’s state-owned carrier Emirates has signed an agreement with Boeing to purchase 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliner for $8.8 billion, according to media reports. The aircraft will be the smaller Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner variant.
The delivery process for Boeing’s Dreamliner aircraft ordered by Emirates will start in 2023 and will continue for the next five years. Reportedly, Emirates, that previously placed orders for 150 7B77X jets and six more 777-300ERs, will cancel the remaining 777-300ERs and reduce its B777X order to 126 units. The delivery dates for these aircraft have not been decided yet.
Reportedly, Emirates will enter into a discussion with Boeing over the next few weeks with regard to the delivery of the 150 B777X and 777-300ERs.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman, and chief executive at Emirates, signed the agreement with Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ chief executive Stanley Deal.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum told the media, “This is an important investment and addition to our future fleet and network requirements, providing us with the agility, flexibility, and spread of seat segments when it comes to the overall capacity to serve a range of destinations as we develop and grow our global route network.”
He added, “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.”
Currently, Emirates has 155 Boeing 777x in its fleet.
Besides placing orders for the Dreamliner aircraft with Boeing, Emirates also announced that it has placed an order for 50 Airbus A350 jets for $16 billion earlier this month.