Middle Eastern airlines have placed orders worth tens of billions of dollars for more than 100 aircraft on the opening day of the Dubai air show, underscoring the rebound in the aviation industry even as regional tensions run high.
Emirates, the local carrier, placed an order for 90 of Boeing’s coming 777X aircraft, the world’s largest twin-engined jet, valued at $52bn at list prices. Its low-cost sister airline, Flydubai, followed up with an order for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the first widebody aircraft in its fleet. The US plane maker also picked up a commitment from Royal Jordanian for its 787 wide-body.
The flood of orders comes despite concerns over a fall in demand for air travel in the region due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.