Dubai-based carrier Emirates announced on Monday it would be buying 20 additional wide-body Airbus A350s, bringing its total order for the aircraft to 50 in a deal worth USD 16 billion at list price.
The announcement essentially confirms a February order for 30 of the A350-900 planes that Emirates had announced that month and tacks on another 20 of Airbus' newest generation wide-body aircraft, bringing the total to 50.
Emirates Group Chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the new deal "replaced" February's agreement for an intent to purchase 70 Airbus aircraft, which had included 40 of the A330neo.
That deal was valued around USD 21.4 billion.
Monday's announcement by Emirates is the first major purchasing agreement to be unveiled at the biennial Dubai Airshow this year amid a slowdown in major purchases by the Middle East's big Gulf airlines.
The airshow opened on Sunday and runs until Thursday on the grounds near Dubai's newest international airport.
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Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi's flagship carrier Etihad Airways said Monday it's launching one of the world's most fuel-efficient long-haul airplanes as the company seeks to save costs on fuel and position itself as a more environmentally-conscious choice for travelers.
Etihad's "Greenliner" is a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that will depart on its first route from Abu Dhabi to Brussels in January 2020. Etihad's CEO Tony Douglas described the aircraft as a flying laboratory for testing that could benefit the entire industry.
With fuel costs eating up around a quarter of airline spending, Douglas said the goal of the Greenliner is to be 20% more fuel efficient than other aircraft in Etihad's fleet.
"This is not just a box-ticking exercise," he told reporters at the unveiling of the initiative at the Dubai Airshow alongside executives from Boeing.
Douglas said the aircraft "not only makes sense economically from a profit and loss account point of view, but because it also directly impacts the CO2 because of the fuel burn."
Etihad says it plans to make the Greenliner a social media star to bring under sharper focus its developments and achievements worldwide. Douglas said anything that Eithad learns with Boeing from this aircraft's operations will be open domain knowledge "because it's about moving the industry forward in a responsible fashion."