Airbus had a strong final day of the Dubai Airshow, closing a deal with Emirates for 15 more A350-900 widebody aircraft. The order announced Thursday, takes the UAE flag carrier’s total order for the type to 65.
“We plan to deploy our A350s to serve a range of new markets including long-haul missions of up to 15 hours flying time from Dubai,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group. “We will work closely with Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure our aircraft deliver the best possible operating efficiency and flying experience for our customers.”
The order followed comments earlier in the week by Emirates president Tim Clark who seemed to suggest in an air show briefing that he did not favor buying more A350s until Rolls-Royce had resolved reported maintenance frequency issues with the Trent XWB-84 turbofans. This is the only engine option for the A350.
On November 15, Ethiopian Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding to buy an additional 11 A350-900s. This agreement takes the African carrier’s total backlog for the A350 to 33 units, including 4 of the A350-1000 model.