A week today, the Dubai Air Show begins. With that in mind, what orders could we see being announced from manufacturers & airlines?
This prestigious air show is expected to produce a lot of orders, based on the reports that have come out from the press in recent days.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Riyadh Air Could Be Placing Second Order at the Dubai Air Show…
Riyadh Air, the latest start-up entrant created under the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, will be one to look out for at the Dubai Air Show.
As per a report from Reuters, the carrier is looking to make a narrowbody order amounting to 300-400 widebody jets, with it understood that around 150 of them are expected to be the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
So, with that in mind, we could potentially see an order with Airbus for the A320neo Family as well to fill that gap at the Dubai Air Show.
Riyadh Air is looking to launch operations in 2025, with the long-haul side of the equation appearing to be prioritised first before looking at the short-to-medium haul side.
MAXs for flydubai?
Jon Ostrower at The Air Current notes that a narrowbody order could be placed by flydubai at the Dubai Air Show.
With their all-Boeing fleet already, it is likely that such an order would be for the Boeing 737 MAX.
As per data from Planespotters.net, the carrier’s all-Boeing fleet is broken down into the following:
- 30 737-800s (27 in service & 3 parked).
- 47 737 MAX 8s (46 in service & 1 parked).
- 3 737 MAX 9s (All three in service).
Of the total 737 MAX deliveries against their orderbook, flydubai still has 193 aircraft in the backlog, waiting to be delivered.
So if we are going to see an order, it will either be a large order once again, or a smaller one to top up the backlog to continue stimulated growth to the end of the decade and beyond.
[monsterinsights_popular_posts_inline]
Emirates Finalising Widebody Order With Either Boeing or Airbus…
Another area of interest is with Emirates, who will be the home carrier to the Dubai Air Show happening in a week’s time.
As per Aviation Week, it is understood the UAE-based carrier is expected to make another widebody order, particularly to replace their older aircraft.
At the Arab Air Carrier Organization General Assembly in Riyadh, Emirates Chief Commercial Officer Adel Al Redha stated that the carrier is considering taking either more Boeing 787-9s, A350s, or 777Xs.
The carrier does have 120 777-9s, 30 787s and 50 A350-900s already on order, so it is unclear how much further this orderbook will expand, as it is going to depend on delivery dates.
For example, back in April 2022, Sir Tim Clark mentioned that the first 777X may be as late as 2025, which is producing concerns within the Middle Eastern carrier.
A Busy Dubai Air Show Expected…
What remains clear is that the Dubai Air Show is expected to be a busy one on the orders front. Of course, flydubai, Emirates & Riyadh Air are a few examples of the overall theme of the show.
With Saudi Arabia trying to form itself as the next aviation superpower of the Middle East, there will no doubt be decisions made from the UAE to try and stem that.
As The Air Current notes, we could see anywhere between 500-1,000 jets sold at the Dubai Air Show, so all eyes will be on what these orders consist of.
But for now, be sure to stay tuned to AviationSource for all updates pertinent to the air show, which starts in a week’s time.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly newsleter.
