Emirates opened the Dubai Airshow by purchasing Boeing aircraft worth £42bn, demonstrating how aviation has recovered after the pandemic of coronavirus, even though Israel’s conflict with Hamas has clouded regional security.
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum announced a deal to purchase 90 Boeing 777s, including 55 of the 777-9 and 35 777-8 variants, and five Boeing 787 Dreamliners, to be added to the previous order.
He said that this was a long-term investment which supported hundreds of thousands jobs not only within Boeing, but also in the global aviation industry. Emirates’ plan to connect cities from all continents to Dubai non-stop is centered around the 777.
FlyDubai’s sister low-cost airline also announced a separate acquisition of 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This is the first wide-body plane in their fleet. It was not disclosed what the parties paid for this deal. However, it is a significant change for FlyDubai which, up until now, has only flown Boeing 737s on shorter distances.
This year’s air show coincides with the Israel-Hamas conflict, as well the Russian war in Ukraine. These events are likely to have an impact on the five-day event at Al Maktoum Airport, located at Dubai World Central. The city’s second airport is located at Al Maktoum Airport in Dubai World Central, after Dubai International Airport. Dubai International Airport is the busiest international airport and home to Emirates. The show is dominated by commercial aviation, but there are also exhibitions from arms manufacturers. The show was originally scheduled to include two major Israeli companies, Rafael Advanced Defence Systems (RADS) and Israel Aerospace Industries.
The IAI stand with the slogan “Where Courage meets Technology” was cordoned off on Monday, as the crowds poured in to the show. Rafael had a stand that distributed coffee even though there was no sales staff.
Rafael sponsored an air force commanders’ meeting on Sunday in a luxury hotel in Dubai, underlining the delicate balance struck by the UAE amidst the anger of the Arab world regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In 2020, the UAE, which is a federation made up of seven sheikhdoms established diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE.
After the coronavirus outbreak, global aviation has boomed. This is especially true at Al Maktoum Airport which was used for months to park double-decker Airbus 380s from Emirates.
According to the International Air Transport Association, air traffic has now reached 97 percent of its pre-Covid level. IATA reports that Middle Eastern airlines which provide key East-West travel routes saw a 26.6% increase in traffic for September compared to a year ago.
Emirates, the main economic engine of Dubai’s booming real estate market, announced a record half-year profit of £2.3bn Thursday. This is up from the PS1bn earned for the same time period last year. The airline could be on course for another record year. The airline claims it has paid back £2.1bn in loans received at the height of pandemic.
Tim Clark, the president of Emirates, said to Bloomberg in September that he would “watch this space” as he made purchases from Airbus or Boeing at the airshow. The airline will likely hire new pilots and crew to staff its new aircraft.
Mr Clark stated, “We have a lot of plans for the future of our airline.” “New fleet, larger numbers, larger network.”