Emirates Plans to Order 100-150 Wide-Body Aircraft for Fleet Expansion
Emirates, one of the world’s largest airlines, is planning to expand its fleet with up to 150 more widebody aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. The airline’s president Tim Clark revealed this at an industry event.
Clark said that Emirates could place a new order for widebody jets as early as this month. He hinted that the announcement could be made at either the Paris Air Show or the Dubai Airshow, which are both taking place later this year. He did not specify which models or manufacturers Emirates was considering, but he mentioned the Airbus A350, the Boeing 777X and the Boeing 787 as possible options.
Emirates currently operates a fleet of mostly widebody jets:
- 119 Airbus A380s
- 10 Boeing 777-200LRs
- 124 Boeing 777-300ERs
- 11 Boeing 777Fs and one wet leased Boeing 747-400F from Kalitta Air for cargo services.
Emirates already has a large order book with both Airbus and Boeing. In 2019, it ordered 50 Airbus A350-900s and 30 Boeing 787-9s at the Dubai Airshow. It also swapped some of its existing orders for Boeing 777s to Boeing 787-9s.
Emirates has on order:
- 50 Airbus A350-900s
- 30 Boeing 787-9s
- 115 Boeing 777Xs
- 5 Boeing 777Fs
The most recent order from Emirates was in November last year, when it ordered five Boeing 777F freighters. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, said that this was part of Emirates’ investment in new fuel-efficient aircraft to meet customer demand.
Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, Emirates, Airbus and Boeing