- The Dubai-based carrier places its first wide-body order for 30 Boeing 787-9s at the Dubai Airshow, diversifying its current fleet of all-Boeing 737 aircraft
- This is the fourth aircraft order placed by the carrier since it was founded in 2008; building on the success of its business model
The Dubai-based carrier, flydubai, and Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced flydubai’s commitment to purchase 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners as the airline diversifies its fleet with the introduction of wide-body aircraft.
The signing ceremony on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow was attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai; Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO, Stan Deal and Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow 2023.
Commenting on the milestone announcement, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai, said: “in 2008 when we placed our first ever order for 50 Boeing 737 aircraft, we were confident of the vital role flydubai would play in supporting Dubai’s aviation hub. I am proud today to see flydubai evolve further, surpassing labels and challenging the traditional conventions around travel. Today’s order reaffirms flydubai’s commitment to enabling more people to travel across its expanding network. The highly fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner will allow flydubai to expand its horizon and cater to the growing demand on existing routes.”
Commenting on the choice of aircraft, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive officer at flydubai, said: “innovation is at the heart of everything we do at flydubai. We are committed to offering the right product at the right time to cater to the changing market and customer needs. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner offers a perfect combination of operational excellence, fuel efficiency as well as passenger appeal.”
flydubai is currently evaluating engine options for its first Dreamliner order.
Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: “The 787-9 is perfectly suited for the needs of flydubai as it looks to open up new, longer-range routes and add capacity across its network. flydubai passengers will enjoy the Dreamliner effect, an experience like no other in the air, flying with more comfort and arriving to their destinations feeling more refreshed. We are proud of the confidence that flydubai continues to place in our products with an all-Boeing fleet. We look forward to further strengthening this partnership and to seeing our 787-9 Dreamliners play a central role in flydubai’s strategic expansion plans.”
flydubai aircraft orders 2008-2023:
- Farnborough AirshowJuly 2008: Placed first aircraft order for 50 Next-Generation Boeing 737 aircraft valued at USD 3.74 billion.
- Dubai Airshow November 2013: Placedsecond order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX and 11 Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft valued at USD 11.4 billion.
- Dubai Airshow November 2017: Placed third order for 225 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft valued at USD 27 billion; representing the largest single-aisle aircraft order in the Middle East.
- Dubai Airshow November 2023: Places fourth order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, its first wide-body aircraft order, to be delivered from 2026 and valued at USD 11 billion.
The Boeing 787-9 aircraft can offer seating for more than 290 passengers and has a range of 14,010 km (7,565 nautical miles) in addition to added cargo capacity. Since revenue service began in 2011, the 787 family has operated on more than 380 new nonstop routes around the world. Half of all scheduled 787 Dreamliner flights are operated in short- and medium-haul markets below 5,000 km (2,700 nautical miles), demonstrating its versatility and efficiency across all network segments.
flydubai currently operates an efficient single fleet-type of 80 Boeing 737 aircraft and includes: 30 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800, 47 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 03 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The airline has an order backlog of more than 130 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be delivered by 2035. The carrier has built a network of more than 120 destinations in 54 countries spanning from Europe to South-East Asia.
According to Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook, the Middle East fleet is projected to more than double over the next 20 years. Nearly half of these deliveries will be wide-body aircraft, driven by the region’s growing position as a global aviation hub.
