In February, Emirates cancelled orders for 39 A380s and with that sealed the end of the Superjumbo. But the airline from Dubai also had some good news for Airbus. As a replacement, it signed a letter of intent for 30 A350-900 and 40 A330 Neo aircraft. "They will complement Emirates' fleet mix, support our network growth, and give us more flexibility," CEO Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said at the time.
The Memorandum of Understanding was never converted into a firm order. And it never will be. On Tuesday (18 November), Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum signed a firm purchase contract for 50 A350-900s at the Dubai Airshow. It replaced the February agreement, Emirates said.
Boeing deals still in negotiations
Al Maktoum said that the A350s would complement the fleet of A380s and Boeing 777s. There was no mention of the 40 Boeing 787-10s for which Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017. The Emirates CEO said on request that negotiations on Dreamliners would continue, as would negotiations on the 777X.
The A350 order is worth $16 billion. The first aircraft will be delivered in 2023, the last in 2028. Emirates will also equip the long-haul aircraft with a Premium Economy, which the airline plans to introduce in December 2020.
