Emirates Adds to Backlog of Airbus A350-900 Orders

Emirates added to its flurry of business to grow its widebody fleet by ordering eight more Airbus A350-900 aircraft on Wednesday. The deal signed at the Dubai Airshow followed a deal with Boeing on Monday for 65 777-9s, with the two contracts collectively valued at $41.1 billion.

The A350-900s, which are due to be delivered in 2031, will be powered by Rolls-Royce XWB84 engines. The top up order takes Emirates’ total commitment to the type to 73 aircraft, and the carrier has already taken delivery of 13.

Emirates started operating the A350s last November with cabins that feature its new premium economy seats. “Together with the additional Boeing 777-9 order announced earlier this week, Emirates now has a total of 375 units of the latest wide-body aircraft on its orderbook,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the airline’s chairman and CEO. “This is a massive investment in our future, the future of flying better for our customers, as well as the future of aviation in terms of job and value creation.”

On Tuesday, Ethiopian Airlines placed a firm order for six A350-900s. The aircraft has a range of up to 9,700 nm and is backed by more than 1,400 orders from 64 operators worldwide.

Also on Wednesday, the airline announced it is working with UAE-based energy group ENOC on initiatives to increase supplies of sustainable aviation fuel. The agreement will see the partners study supply chain infrastructure, production capabilities, and commercial viability.

Earlier this week, Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding with Safran that could lead to a facility in Dubai being established to make airliner seats. Initially, the proposed joint venture would focus on making seats for retrofit into business and economy class cabins. The partners said they could get manufacturing started by the end of 2027 with capacity to assemble up to 1,000 seats each year.