At the Dubai Air Show Boeing had its fill of 777Xs. But the real winner was (again) Airbus. Here's why

U.S. President Donald Trump may well make ten official trips around the world and threaten sky-high tariffs to sell U.S.-made goods, including airplanes, as he recently did by collecting orders for the Boeing 787 in several Central Asian countries.

But when it escapes the logic of politics, the market continues to look more to Airbus than to Boeing. It is the story that the 2025 edition of the Dubai Air Show also told. held this week at the Dubai World Central Airport.

Wanting to make a recap of what went down, in terms of orders, during the Gulf Shores event, one cannot help but consider Airbus the winner between the two giants of world air transport.

Emirates orders 777-9 for $38 billion

And to say that the first day of the fair had seen Boeing take an absolute lead, thanks to theOrder signed with Emirates for 65 new Boeing 777-9s.

But it is widely believed among observers that Boeing actually 'won' that order months ago, during Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East in May. On that occasion, US president had picked up a mega-order from Qatar Airways and another smaller one from Etihad while Emirates' silence had sounded suspicious, at least until the first day of the Air Show.

Highly likely that, wanting to give maximum visibility to the show and his own (umpteenth) order for the 777X, the Dubai-based carrier's president, Tim Clark, preferred to wait until the Air Show to announce that he had ordered a new 'batch' of the 2.0 version of the Triple Seven for a figure expected to be around $38 billion and projecting Emirates even more firmly in the lead among 777X principals With a whopping 205 firm orders.

Etihad strikes back with A350s and A330s

Abu Dhabi's Emirati cousin, Etihad Airways, replied to Emirates in Airbus strikes , adding seven A350-1000s to the 20 already ordered (nine of which are already in the fleet), but more importantly becoming a new operator of the A330-900, with six orders placed directly with the European manufacturer and nine more to come on lease from Avolon, for a total fleet of 15 aircraft.

The turnaround of flydubai and Air Europa

The second day of the event also saw Two major 'breakthroughs' by as many companies. Both in favor of Airbus. Emirates' 'little sister', flydubai, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which it pledged to purchase as many as 150 Airbus A321neo.

This is a 'momentous' turning point for the former low-cost emirate, which Since its inception, it had only ever flown Boeing 737s. (from the -800 series, later followed by the MAX 8 and MAX 9). A radical change similar to the footprint that Air Europa has given to its future, at least on long haul. To date, Spain's second-largest airline (Into whose capital Turkish Airlines is about to enter) has an intercontinental fleet consisting entirely of Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s, but in Dubai signed an MoU with Airbus for the purchase of 40 Airbus A350-900s.

The A350 on the shields

Emirates order for 65 Boeing 777X separately, the airplane that came out on top was the Airbus A350: alongside orders from Etihad and Air Europa, Emirates, too, on the third day of the event tweaked its demand for the -900 version of the Toulouse bireactor, ordering eight more, bringing the total to 73 of orders (with 13 aircraft of that type already delivered and entered service). E so did Ethiopian Airlines, which signed for 6 more A350-900s Of which it already has 26 in its fleet.

The MAX's kidney stroke

On the third day of the festival, flydubai has 'readjusted its focus' toward Boeing and, twenty-four hours after signing for 150 A321neo, has done the same for 75 Boeing 737 MAX (with an option for 75 more).

The new agreement with Boeing also opens flydubai's fleet to the largest of the 737 MAX models, the -10, which, however, is still awaiting certification by the FAA. Ethiopian Airlines, too, albeit in much more modest proportions, has struck a blow to the barrel and a blow to the circle, following up its order for six A350-900s with one for eleven 737 MAX 8s.

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