Dubai: FlyDubai, the lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates, said Wednesday it ordered 75 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in a deal worth USD 13 billion. Emirates meanwhile bought eight Airbus A350-900 aircraft at a list price of USD 3.4 billion.
The announcements came after FlyDubai earlier at the Dubai Air Show made a major Airbus A321neo purchase of 150 aircraft for USD 24 billion. Since its first flight in 2009, FlyDubai had only flown Boeing 737s, making the sale a major win for the European consortium at the biennial air show.
“Looking ahead, proactive fleet planning is essential to ensuring we are well-placed to meet the rising demand for travel, a demand we are confident will continue to grow,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman of both FlyDubai and Emirates.
“Anticipating future needs is a defining factor in the success of any airline and today’s announcement reflects our commitment to that principle.”
FlyDubai and Boeing made the announcement in statements without a news conference.
“We are proud that Boeing aeroplanes will continue to serve as the backbone of FlyDubai’s strategic fleet and growth plans,” Stephanie Pope, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in the same FlyDubai statement.
FlyDubai added that it had options for an additional 75 Boeing aircraft as part of the deal.
Emirates’ purchase of the A350s comes as the airline has just started flying the plane, adding it to its fleet of double-decker Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s. Emirates earlier this week purchased 65 Boeing 777-9s with list price of USD 38 billion at the air show.
“Emirates now has a total of 375 units of the latest wide-body aircraft on its order book,” Sheikh Ahmed said. “This is a massive investment in our future, the future of flying better for our customers, as well as the future of aviation in terms of job and value creation.”
The announcement came as Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, announced it had 70.1 million passengers already this year and is on track to break its own records again.
