The Dubai Airshow on Wednesday provided the setting for two enormous aircraft purchase orders, totaling billions of dollars for Airbus and Boeing. Airshow organizers called it “one of the most exciting days in recent aviation business history.” Airbus unveiled its largest single announcement ever, a $49.5 billion deal with Indigo Partners to purchase 430 aircraft in its A320neo family. Meanwhile, Boeing completed a $27 billion deal with carrier flydubai for 225 aircraft in its 737 MAX family, the largest-ever single-aisle jet order – by number of airplanes and total value – from a Middle East carrier. Overall, customers in the region announced orders and commitments for 296 Boeing airplanes at the show— including 50 options — with a total value of about $50 billion at list prices, Boeing said.
“This has been a very successful show for Boeing,” said Bernard Dunn, president of Boeing’s regional office. “We signed agreements with key airline partners including Emirates, flydubai, Azerbaijan Airlines, ALAFCO and Ethiopian Airlines. In addition, Egyptair became a new customer for the 787.” The 430 new Airbus aircraft will be allocated among Frontier Airlines (U.S.), JetSMART (Chile), Volaris (Mexico) and Wizz Air (Hungary), Airbus said. Also at the show, Boom CEO Blake Scholl said in a news conference on Monday his company is in discussions with about 20 airlines around the world that are interested in his company’s supersonic jet. Boom is working to bring to market a 55-seat supersonic airliner, with the first flight of a piloted scaled test aircraft expected next year. Five airlines, including Virgin Atlantic, have placed preorders for 76 airplanes, according to the company.
