World’s biggest long-haul airline Emirates cut back its billions dollar commitment with Boeing, purchasing just 30 Boeing 787-9 aircraft worth US$ 8.8 billion at the Dubai Airshow 2019.

This comes a day after the airline signed firm order for 50 Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft in a revised deal worth AED 58.7 billion (US$ 16 billion). The latest announcement takes the total value of Emirates’ firm aircraft commitments at the Dubai Airshow 2019 to US$ 24.8 billion.

Emirates will begin receiving deliveries of Boeing 787 Dreamliners from May 2023 and continue for the next five years.

Emirates firms up US$ 8.8 billion order for 30 @Boeing 787-9 aircraft at @DubaiAirshow. This deal firms up our previous MOU for Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with deliveries commencing in May 2023 and continuing for the next five years. #DAS19 #FlyEmiratesFlyBetter pic.twitter.com/q9SssexEhp

— Emirates Airline (@emirates) November 20, 2019

“Under its agreement with Boeing, Emirates has exercised its right to substitute the B777x with B787s,” the airline said in a statement, adding, “For the B777X, Emirates will enter into discussions with Boeing over the next few weeks on the status of deliveries.”

Emirates is the largest Boeing 777 operator on the planet with 155 777s in service currently.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive, signed the agreement with Stanley Deal, President and Chief Executive Officer for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

HH Sheikh Ahmed said, “I am pleased to announce a firm order for 30 Boeing Dreamliners. This is an important investment and addition to our future fleet and network requirements, providing us the agility, flexibility and spread of seat segments when it comes to overall capacity to serve a range of destinations as we develop and grow our global route network. This also reflects Emirates’ continued efforts to provide the best quality air transport services to our customers.

“The 787s will complement our fleet mix by expanding our operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment to connect new city pairs and expand frequencies. We are also pleased to reaffirm our commitment to the Boeing 777x programme and look forward to its entry into service.”

“Our Boeing fleet is key to our business model to serve international demand for travel to and through our Dubai hub, as we continue to contribute to the UAE’s strategy to become a global destination for business and tourism by providing high quality air connectivity,” he added.

“The 787s will complement our fleet mix by expanding our operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment to connect new city pairs and expand frequencies” – @HHAhmedbinSaeed on our @BoeingAirplanes 787 order. #FlyEmiratesFlyBetter #DAS19 https://t.co/mtvIhMKNT6 pic.twitter.com/6APQ4j13DN

— Emirates Airline (@emirates) November 20, 2019

Stanley Deal said, “We are excited to finalise this important order from one of the world’s leading airlines. Our agreement solidifies Emirates’ plan to operate the 787 Dreamliner and the 777X, which make up the most efficient and most capable wide-body combination in the industry. It is an honour to build on our successful partnership with Emirates and continue to sustain many jobs at Boeing and our supplier partners.”

“Emirates is a powerful engine for American aerospace manufacturing jobs. Applying the US Department of Commerce jobs multiplier (every $1 billion in US aerospace exports supports 5,200 American jobs), this order will create and support over 45,000 additional jobs in US aerospace manufacturing – not only with Boeing, but also with the thousands of other suppliers in the value chain across the US, many of which are medium and small-sized businesses.”

Emirates currently operates an all wide-body fleet of efficient and modern aircraft, comprising the iconic Airbus A380 and the popular Boeing 777. From its hub in Dubai, the airline serves over 150 cities on six continents, offering award-winning inflight and on ground services.