First 'ringer' at Dubai Air Show: Emirates relaunches on 777X and orders 65 new -9 series planes. Now its order is pharaonic
The first mega-order signed at the 2025 edition of the Dubai Airshow comes from the host carrier, Emirates, which signed a [...]
Emirates
The first mega-order signed at the 2025 edition of the Dubai Airshow comes from the host carrier, Emirates, which signed an order with Boeing for 65 new Boeing 777-9, bringing the total of his orders for the 2.0 version of the Triple Seven to 270.
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The signing was made by the two parties on the morning of the first day of the Air Show held at the Al Maktoum (or Dubai World Central) airport, but it is quite likely that, in fact, the agreement on the order was reached weeks ago, during the official trip of U.S. President Donald Trump. Since his visit to the Gulf countries last May, Trump had returned with a mega-order in his pocket from Qatar Airways e A minor one from Etihad Airways..
Nothing, however, from Emirates, which had not a little surprised market observers. It is quite likely that the Dubai-based company wanted to make the agreement with the American manufacturer official during the Air Show, which it considers a prime showcase.
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For Emirates, this is the sixth 'operation' related to the 777X project: The Dubai-based carrier had placed an initial order in July 2014 for 115 777-9s and 35 777-8s. On November 20, 2019, it had reduced orders for the larger model by 14 and the smaller model by 10. A month later it had made a further adjustment, reducing the 777-9s by 2 and the 777-8s by 9. In June 2023 it had then replaced the remaining 16 777-8s with as many 777-9s, effectively zeroing out demand for the smaller model of the new Triple Seven. But by November of that year it was back to ordering 35 777-8s (effectively restoring the initial July 2014 order), adding another 55 777-9s and bringing its total orders to 205. In recent hours that total has grown to 270.
Emirates therefore reaffirms its confidence in the program, which is facing enormous delays, despite the fact that Chairman Tim Clark himself criticized Boeing extremely harshly at the time when Everett's manufacturer has made it official that the first deliveries of the aircraft will only be there in 2027, with Emirates possibly not seeing the first of its 270 777-Xs until 2028.
According to rumors, during the Dubai Air Show, the Dubai-based airline may also announce an order for the Airbus A350-1000, after it put its first A350-900s into service during 2025.
In light of the new order arrived from Emirates, the 777X 'order book' (series -9 and series-8 and including cargo versions) should be updated as follows: Emirates leads with 270 aircraft, more than twice as many as those ordered by Qatar Airways that are 124; followed by Korean Air with 48, Cathay Pacific with 35, Singapore Airlines with 31, Lufthansa (which will receive the first plane) with 27, British Airways with 25, All Nippon Airways (ANA) with 20, China Airlines with 14, Air India and Cargolux with 10, Ethiopian Airlines with 8, and Silk Way West Airlines with 2, for a total of 648 confirmed orders of which 473 for the -9 series, 43 for the -8 series and 67 for the -8F (cargo) series.
Curiously, The 777X is still on a dry run in the U.S., meaning that no Stars and Stripes carrier has ordered it yet.
