Airbus
On the second day of the Dubai Air Show, Airbus nailed down $30 billion in new plane orders.
The largest deal came from the Dubai-based airline, Emirates, which announced they will buy additional 20 wide-body Airbus A350s. It brings the total order for the aircraft at 50 for an agreement worth around US$16 billion. The beginning of the deliveries is expected by 2023. This deal is replacing the US$21.4 billion agreement signed in February which included 70 Airbus’ aircrafts.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said about it: «Complementing our A380s and 777s, the A350s will give us added operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment.”
The Emirati airline Air Arabia announced that it would be purchasing 120 new Airbus aircrafts. The deal worth around US$14 billion. This deal includes 73 A320neos, 27 A321neos and 20 A321 XLRs. The first deliveries are expected by 2024.
The Dubai Air Show have been productive for Airbus. In total, the company has sold 220 medium-haul and wide-body aircrafts which represent an amount slightly above US$36 billion. Most of those sells are firm contract except the one of Air Senegal which is a letter of intent for the purchase of eight A3200-300s.
Airbus has two new customers: GECAS which ordered 12 A320neo and 20 A321XLR aircrafts and Flynas with a 10 A32XLRs order.
Boeing
For Boeing, the major deal also came from the Dubai-based airline, Emirates, which has signed a full purchased agreement for 30 Boeing 787-9 aircraft. This contract worth at least US$8.8 billion. The deliveries will start in May 2023 and will be continuing for the next five years.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “The 787s will complement our fleet mix by expanding our operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment. We are also pleased to reaffirm our commitment to the Boeing 777X programme and look forward to its entry into service.”
As part of the agreement, Emirates will update of its large order book by exercising substitution right. In fact, they will convert their 30 B777 fleet into 30 B787-9s.
Boeing managed to reach 50 bids for its B737 Max jets. The larger one comes from Kazakhstan carrier Air Astana which signed a letter of intent for 30 Max jets. This commitment is valued at US$3.6 billion.
The Dubai Air show, known for its record-breaking big deals, has once again been the place for fierce competition between Airbus and Boeing.