Emirates has expanded its long-term fleet plans with a major aircraft order announced on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow 2025. The Dubai-based airline confirmed it will purchase 65 additional Boeing 777-9 aircraft, supported by 130 GE9X engines.
New aircraft order
The latest deal, valued by Emirates at US$38 billion at list prices, brings the airline’s total Boeing orderbook to 315 widebody jets. This includes 270 Boeing 777X aircraft, 10 Boeing 777 freighters and 35 Boeing 787s. Emirates’ engine commitments with GE Aerospace now total 540 GE9X units.
The new agreement also supports Boeing’s feasibility study for the 777-10, a larger version of the 777X. Emirates has secured options to convert its latest 777-9 order to either the 777-10 or the 777-8 in the future.
Airline strategy
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said: “Emirates is already the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator and we are expanding our commitment to the programme today with additional orders worth US$ 38 billion for 65 Boeing 777-9s, and 130 GE9X engines. This is a long-term commitment and testament to our partnership with Boeing and GE, and to US aerospace.
“Each of our aircraft on order has been carefully factored into Emirates’ expansion plan, which is aligned to Dubai’s growth plans. Flying a young and modern fleet with innovative cabin products has always been a cornerstone of Emirates’ strategy, and we look forward to continue working closely with Boeing to receive delivery of our first 777-9s from Q2 of 2027, and to equip our latest aircraft with state-of-the-art, industry-leading onboard products.”
On Boeing’s study into the 777-10, he added: “Emirates has been open about the fact that we are keen for manufacturers to build larger capacity aircraft, which are more efficient to operate especially with projected air traffic growth and increasing constraints at airports. 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.”
Boeing response
Stephanie Pope, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: “We are deeply honoured that Emirates has once again selected the Boeing 777X to power its future as the airline refreshes its world-class fleet and expands its vaunted global network. Boeing has been a proud supporter of Emirates over the past 40 years as the airline has grown into one of the world’s leading carriers and developed a reputation for excellence and innovation. We look forward to growing our partnership and for Emirates to fly Boeing airplanes for decades to come.”
Engine partnership
Russell Stokes, President & CEO, Commercial Engines & Services for GE Aerospace, said: “We are proud to deepen our decades-long partnership with Emirates as we advance the future of flight together. Already the world’s largest customer for GE90 and GP7200 engines, this additional GE9X order reflects Emirates’ confidence in our technology and our team. We are ready to support Emirates in every way to leverage the efficiency and durability of our industry-leading solutions and services.”
Emirates has operated every model of the Boeing 777 over the past four decades and currently flies 140 of them, connecting Dubai to more than 140 destinations across six continents. Following today’s order, deliveries of new Boeing aircraft to Emirates are expected to run through 2038, involving production work across multiple US states.
