Airbus lines up orders in Dubai

Airbus has nailed down $30 billion in plane orders on the second day of the Dubai Airshow after previous rounds of the biennial showcase saw its competitor Boeing take the lion’s share.

The largest deal came from the Middle East’s biggest carrier, Dubaibased Emirates, which announced it would be buying 20 additional wide-body Airbus A350s, bringing its total order for the aircraft to 50 in an agreement worth $16bn at list price.

That deal, however, replaces a $21.4bn agreement struck in February to purchase 70 Airbus aircraft, which had included 40 of the A330neo.

Delivery of the aircraft is set to start in 2023.

In another major announcement for Airbus, the Emirati budget carrier Air

“Delivery of the aircraft issetto start in 2023”

Arabia said it would be purchasing 120 new Airbus planes in a deal worth $14bn at list price.

Air Arabia, which operates mainly out of the emirate of Sharjah, already has a fleet entirely made up of Airbus models.

The new deal will include 73 A320neos, 27 A321neos and 20 A321 XLRs, with first delivery in 2024.

It comes as one of the country’s main carriers, Abu Dhabi Etihad Group, announced recently a joint venture with Air Arabia to launch Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, the first low-cost airline to be based in Abu Dhabi.

Boeing, meanwhile, has used the public appearances of its executives the airshow to stress the company’s commitment to safety.

This follows two plane crashes that killed nearly 350 people after taking off from Indonesia in October of last year and from Ethiopia in March.