flydubai places order for 30 Boeing 787s
Source: FlyDubai
The Dubai-based carrier, flydubai, and Boeing have announced flydubai's commitment to purchase 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners as the airline diversifies its fleet with the introduction of wide-body aircraft.
The signing ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai; Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO, Stan Deal, and Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of flydubai, on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow 2023.
flyDubai's Boeing fleet utilization statistics
Commenting on the milestone announcement, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai, said: "In 2008, when we placed our first-ever order for 50 Boeing 737 aircraft, we were confident of the vital role flydubai would play in supporting Dubai's aviation hub. Today, I am proud to see flydubai evolve further, surpassing labels and challenging the traditional conventions around travel. Today's order reaffirms Flydubai's commitment to enabling more people to travel across its expanding network. The highly fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner will allow flydubai to expand its horizon and cater to the growing demand on existing routes."
Commenting on the choice of aircraft, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: "Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at flydubai. We are committed to offering the right product at the right time to cater to the changing market and customer needs. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner perfectly combines operational excellence, fuel efficiency, and passenger appeal."
Flydubai is currently evaluating engine options for its first Dreamliner order. Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: "The 787-9 is ideally suited for the needs of flydubai as it looks to open up new, longer-range routes and add capacity across its network. Flydubai passengers will enjoy the Dreamliner effect, an experience like no other in the air, flying more comfortably and arriving at their destinations feeling refreshed. We are proud of the confidence that flydubai continues to place in our products with an all-Boeing fleet.
We look forward to further strengthening this partnership and seeing our 787-9 Dreamliners play a central role in Flydubai's strategic expansion plans."
Flydubai currently operates an efficient single fleet of 80 Boeing 737 aircraft and includes 30 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800, 47 Boeing 737 MAX 8, and 03 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The airline has an order backlog of more than 130 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be delivered by 2035. The carrier has built a network of more than 120 destinations in 54 countries spanning Europe to Southeast Asia.
According to Boeing's Commercial Market Outlook, the Middle East fleet will double over the next 20 years. Nearly half of these deliveries will be wide-body aircraft, driven by the region's growing position as a global aviation hub.
