Airlines eye Boeing deals at Dubai Airshow

Airlines eye Boeing deals at Dubai Airshow

Emirates Airline will be spending US$ 15.1 billion or just about 1.5 trillion shillings to purchase 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners.

The deal was announced at an Emirates press conference at the Dubai Airshow 2017.

The deal perhaps one of the biggest (if not the biggest) took many by surprise considering that Airbus which many believed would pen a deal for the A380 received no mention.

Emirate was reportedly weighing out the options between the 787-10 and the A350-900. Well it appears the Boeing offer proved a better option for the airline that’s already the world’s largest operators of the 777 class of Boeings.

Emirates will be the first airline to receive the new 787-10 aircraft in the next few years.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates airline and Group, said: “Emirates’ orders today will be delivered from 2022, taking the airline well into the 2030s. 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.”

The 787-10 Dreamliner is the newest and longest member of the super-efficient 787 family. Boeing says it offers 10 percent better fuel and emissions than competitive aircraft in the sector, and some 25 per cent better fuel efficiency per seat and emissions than the aircraft it is replacing.

This latest deal brings to over 200 the number of 787’s ordered so far. Reports indicate that some identified operators have placed orders for 163 787-10 with another undisclosed client having ordered 8.

The show also saw Dubai-based operator flydubai unveil its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8, the first of 76 ordered from Boeing, all of which will be delivered by 2023. Six of these will join the flydubai fleet by the end of 2017. Detail on the costing of the new Max fleet remain withheld.

“This is another milestone in Dubai’s aviation success story. The efficiency and enhanced performance this aircraft promises is going to play an important role in the new chapter of flydubai’s growth strategy.”

flydubai Chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the new Boeing 737 MAX 8s will initially be deployed on the furthest points on flydubai’s network, including Bangkok, Prague, Yekaterinburg and Zanzibar.

flydubai

The additional aircraft being delivered over the next few years will be rolled out across the fleet and will become available on most of the routes on the network.

“The 737 MAX families is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history with about 4000 orders worldwide,” said Marty Bentrott, vice president, Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

According to Sudhir Sreedharan, flydubai Senior Vice President Commercial Operations the move to introduce the Max 8 to the airline’s fleet aims at improving reducing cost through efficiency without compromising customer experience.

“It is a routine to us to ensure we invest in the best technology that is available and ensure that we continue to listen to our customers, listen to their feedback and ensure that the customer continues to get more value for the money that they pay to us, and this product is a testimony of all that,” he said.

The Max 8 features 156 seats in the economy class, and 10 fully flat seats in the business cabin.

In the design, the economy seat optimises space and comfort for the passenger bringing to reality the sit back, relax and enjoy your flight sort of feeling.

The business seat on board is designed to offer an array of options for comfort and convenience whether a passenger wants to work, eat, get entertained or even rest during a flight.

Since the beginning of 2017, flydubai has launched six new destinations and grown its network to more than 95 destinations. The carrier which recently expanded its code sharing agreement with Emirates Airline to 16 destinations has equally increased the schedule to more than 1,700 flights a week.

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Aviation boeing Boeing 737 MAX 8 dreamliner Dubai Airshow fleet management Flydubai

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