Emirates buys 40 Boeing airliners
US$15.1B deal surprises rival Airbus
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES• Long-haul carrier Emirates purchased 40 American-made Boeing 78710 Dreamliners on Sunday at the start of the biennial Dubai Air Show, a US$15.1billion deal certain to please U.S. President Donald Trump who has touted the plane’s sales as a job creator in America.
The deal appeared to surprise Boeing’s archrival Airbus, whose staff had attended a long-delayed news conference and left the room just moments before the announcement.
Airbus has pinned hopes of continuing production of its double-decker A380 jumbo jet on Emirates, the world’s largest operator of the aircraft, which took delivery of its 100th A380 earlier this month. Reports circulated before the air show that a major A380 sale would be coming. But instead, Emirates CEO and chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum explained how the airline considered the Airbus A350 and decided to pick the Boeing 787-10.
“We were comparing the two apples,” he said, but found that the Boeing 787 is “the best option” for Emirates “given its maintenance and so on.”
It’s the second time Airbus has lost out on selling the A350 to Emirates. In June, 2014, state-owned Emirates cancelled an order for 70 A350s after a “fleet requirement” review.
The Boeing 787-10 typically lists for US$312.8 million. Delivery will begin in 2022.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. already has 171 787-10s on order. Among those waiting for the aircraft are Abu Dhabibased Etihad.
The twin-engine 787-10, however, has been a focus of Trump since he came into office. In February, he visited the Boeing plant in North Charleston, S.C., which manufactures the 330-seat plane Trump described as “an amazing piece of art.”
“As your president I’m going to do everything I can to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work,” Trump said at the time.
Sheikh Ahmed made a point to say the deal will help create more jobs. The deal was signed in the presence of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the United Arab Emirates’ prime minister and vicepresident.
“The order will take Emirates’ total (number of ) wide body aircraft of the Boeing to 204 aircrafts, units worth over $90 billion,” Sheikh Ahmed said. “This is a longterm commitment that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, not only at Boeing but also throughout the aviation supply chain.”