Emirates, the world's largest long-haul airline, has placed a $38 billion order for an additional 65 Boeing 777-9 aircraft, giving the US plane maker a much-needed boost shortly after the plane's debut was further postponed to 2027.
It also ordered 130 of GE Aerospace's GE9X engines that power the twin-engined planes, Emirates said on the first day of the Dubai Airshow on Monday.
“This is a massive long-term commitment to US aerospace manufacturing, generating support for hundreds of thousands of high value manufacturing jobs in the US over the life of the programmes,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline group, said at a press conference during the show taking place in Dubai World Central.
When asked how Boeing managed to convince Emirates to buy more of the long-delayed 777X models, Brad McMullen, the company's senior vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, told the The National: “I don’t think there was any convincing that needed to be done, frankly. They’ve committed to the 777-9. Their future depends on it. Our future depends on Emirates. When two parties depend on each other, you can normally find a way to do more business.”
Meanwhile, the Emirates boss also said the airline has the option to convert the order to the 777-10, a larger variant that’s still under development.
“We fully support Boeing’s feasibility study to develop the 777-10 and have options to convert our latest 777-9 order to the 777-10 or the 777-8,” Sheikh Ahmed said.
Boeing is just starting the feasibility study, Mr McMullen said. "We’ve committed that we’re going to study it and that’s what we’re going to do. It’s probably no secret that Emirates has wanted a bigger aircraft to replace the A380s and we’re going to see if that’s our plane. We’re going to take a hard look at it."
Monday's deal takes Emirates' total order book with Boeing to 315 wide-body aircraft, comprising 270 Boeing 777Xs, 10 777 freighters and 35 of the 787 Dreamliners. Its order book with GE Aerospace for GE9X engines rose to a total of 540 units, including the 130 additional units signed on Monday.
Emirates will continue working closely with Boeing to receive delivery of its first 777-9s from the second quarter of 2027, Sheikh Ahmed said.
The airline's growth plans have been clipped by the seven-year delay in the 777X programme.
John Strickland, a UK-based aviation analyst and director of JLS Consulting, said Emirates “remains frustrated” by delays to existing 777-X deliveries.
But the additional order “underlines confidence in what the aircraft will deliver for Emirates and the need to beef up the numbers looking ahead to the next decade, when A380s begin to depart the fleet”, he told The National.
Emirates is already the biggest customer of the 777X, with 270 units on order. Monday's agreement is the airline's third order of the aircraft.
The world's biggest international airline threw its weight behind the 777X despite delays, amid a lack of viable options to replace the A380 superjumbo that has ceased production. Emirates has said it will continue to fly its double-deckers until early 2040.
“After Airbus stopped making the A380s, Boeing 777 is the biggest commercial airplane,” Sheikh Ahmed said.
“Some people may have doubts about Emirates’ huge backlog of aircraft orders, but I assure you each and every aircraft of ours has been carefully factored into Emirates’ growth plans,” Sheikh Ahmed said. “As an airline, we are lucky to be based here.”
The airline will be expecting Boeing aircraft deliveries up to 2038.
Stephanie Pope, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the order “further cements Emirates’ position as the 777X’s largest customer”.
Separately, Emirates' sister airline flydubai on Monday announced an order for 60 GEnx-1B engines to power the airline first wide-body fleet of 30 Boeing 787-9. It had placed the plane order at the Dubai Airshow in 2023.
"The performance and durability of our engines play an integral role in the success of our operations and fleet expansion plans, especially as we prepare to welcome the Boeing 787 aircraft to our fleet in the coming years,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, chief executive of flydubai.
Boeing's 2025 Commercial Market Outlook projects sustained Middle East demand for wide-body aeroplanes. The region is expected to need nearly 3,000 new wide-body jets over the next 20 years.
The pact on Monday gives the US plane maker an advantage over its European arch-rival Airbus on the first day of the Middle East's largest air show.
A Boeing air show?
In another boost for Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines on Monday confirmed an order for 11 new Boeing 737 Max-8 planes.
The airline runs the largest Boeing fleet in Africa and has the largest backlog of 737 Max planes, 777X and 787 Dreamliners on the continent.
Ethiopian is also actively evaluating additional wide-body orders from both Airbus and Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines group chief executive Mesfin Tasew said at the air show.
Also on Monday, Air Senegal ordered nine 737-Max 8 planes, with rights to buy six more.
Yankhoba Dieme, Senegal's Minister for Infrastructure, Land and Air, said this was their first deal with Boeing in 21 years.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20Specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELamborghini%20LM002%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205.2-litre%20V12%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20450hp%20at%206%2C800rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E500Nm%20at%204%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFive-speed%20manual%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100kph%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%209%20seconds%20(approx)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210kph%20(approx)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYears%20built%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201986-93%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20vehicles%20built%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20328%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EValue%20today%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24300%2C000%2B%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
