GULF-based airlines Emirates, Etihad and Qatar accounted for more than 30 per cent of the business at England’s Farnborough International Airshow which concluded on July 25.
Emirates placed an order with Boeing for an additional 30 777-300ER aircraft, worth approximately $9.1 billion in list prices.
The new purchase adds to the fleet of 71 777-300ERs previously ordered, of which 53 aircraft are currently in service, and comes just a month after the airline signed the biggest contract in aviation history for 32 Airbus superjumbos at a cost of $11.5 billion.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, witnessed the signing between Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, and Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“Emirates is the world’s largest operator of 777s and this latest order, adding to 71 777-300ERs previously ordered, affirms Emirates’ strategy to become a world-leading carrier and to further establish Dubai as a central gateway to worldwide air travel,” said Sheikh Ahmed. “Our latest deal signals Emirates’ confidence in the growth of the thriving aviation sector and our commitment to building a modern, environmentally-efficient fleet for tomorrow.”
Emirates is on track to become one of the largest airlines in the world. In addition to the orders placed at Farnborough, the airline has 79 Airbus A380s, 70 Airbus A350s and seven Boeing freighters on order worth more than $67 billion.
Qatar Airways was also active at the show, placing orders for two Boeing 777-200 long-range aircraft worth $501 million and revising the delivery schedule for its Boeing 787 Dreamliners with the first now expected to be handed over in the fourth quarter of 2011.
CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “Air travel demand is continuing to rise in the Middle East and it is becoming clear that international demand is returning as the global economy shows signs of recovery.
“The additional two Boeing 777-200 LRs will help us open up new ultra-longhaul markets as we expand and identify new opportunities further.”
Qatar had also been expected to announce the purchase of the single-aisle C-Series aircraft from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier but Al Baker said negotiations on this were still ongoing.
Instead he announced that Qatar would buy two Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft in a deal worth $90 million as part of plans to further develop its 12-month-old corporate jet subsidiary, Qatar Executive.
The new business jets are scheduled for delivery in October 2010 and August 2011 and will join three Bombardier Challenger jets currently operating within the Doha-based Qatar Executive fleet.
Al Baker said: “We launched Qatar Executive last year because we had identified a huge gap in the market and are now well on the way to filling that void.
“At Qatar Airways, we are responding to the sustained regional demand to have larger private jets available to our corporate customers. Our passengers are paying a premium to fly privately and at their leisure, so this is a market segment that we are keen to develop since entering this sector 12 months ago.”
And Etithad used Farnborough as an opportunity to finalise the purchase of 78 GEnx-1B engines to power its order for 35 Boeing 787 Dreamliners which was announced during the Paris Airshow in 2009.
The total value of the engine order is $1.8 billion list price and delivery is scheduled to begin in 2015.
Additionally, Etihad also signed a 15-year OnPoint solutions agreement with GE Aviation for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of these engines. The agreement is worth more than $2.5 billion over the life of the contract.
Etihad Airways CEO, James Hogan, said: “One of the key criteria in the selection of our engines is environmental performance and the reduced emissions of the GEnx engines will complement our fleet, which is one of the youngest and most environmentally-efficient in the world.
“Furthermore, as part of our long-term partnership with GE, the OnPoint maintenance agreement will enable technology and skills transfer to our maintenance partner, Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, for these engine types.”