15 Airbus A350-900: Emirates is buying more Airbus A350s – but Boeing is ordering much larger planes

It decreased significantly. On the first day of the Dubai Air Show, the major aircraft manufacturers counted six new orders, on the second day four, and on the third day only one order. Expectations were low for Thursday (November 16), the fourth day of the fair.

However, there have been rumors that Emirates will continue to place an order with Airbus – despite apparent criticism of the Airbus A350-1000 and its Rolls-Royce engines. And so it happened: the airline from Dubai announced that it would buy an additional 15 Airbus A350-900 aircraft. This means that the airline will receive a total of 65 aircraft.

New markets and 15-hour flights

Emirates will take delivery of its first A350-900 in 2024. All 65 aircraft should be there by the beginning of 2028. “We plan to use our A350 to serve a number of new markets,” Emirates President Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said. Including long-haul missions that take up to a 15-hour flight from Dubai.”

The Emirates president said they would work closely with Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure “the best possible operational efficiency.” The airline’s president, Tim Clark, had previously said regarding the A350-1000 engines that they would have to be dismantled and serviced more frequently, and would therefore incur higher costs than is acceptable. Both Airbus A350 models are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines – the -900 from the XWB-84, and the -1000 from the XWB-97.

It’s clear that Boeing is currently ahead

Emirates had ordered more Boeing aircraft on the first day of the air show: 55 Boeing 777-9 aircraft, 35 Boeing 777-8 aircraft, and five Boeing 787-10 aircraft. This means that there are now a total of 205 Boeing 777Xs and 35 Boeing 787s on the manufacturer’s order book as passenger aircraft for the airline. There are also five 777 freighters. Airbus has 65 A350-900s. In total, Emirates has orders for 310 new aircraft – with a clear focus on Boeing.

Regarding Airbus aircraft, Emirates is currently investing in operating its A380 aircraft for a longer period. Thanks to a slew of new maintenance contracts, the jumbo jets are now expected to continue flying for the airline until the early 2040s.