Flydubai breaks into the wide-body market with a 30 Boeing 787-9 order

Dubai’s own flydubai has solidified plans to expand its fleet with an order of 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, marking the company’s foray into wide-body aircraft. The announcement, made today at the Dubai Airshow 2023, was attended by leaders from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, as well as top executives from flydubai and Boeing.

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flydubai Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, stated: «I am proud to see flydubai evolve… Today’s order reaffirms flydubai’s commitment to enabling more people to travel across its expanding network.» He praised the Dreamliner’s fuel efficiency as key to supporting the airline’s growth and addressing the demand on existing routes.

CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith remarked on the importance of innovation at flydubai, saying that «the Boeing 787 Dreamliner offers a perfect combination of operational excellence, fuel efficiency as well as passenger appeal.» His comment underscores the airline’s strategy to adapt to market and customer needs.

«The 787-9 is perfectly suited for the needs of flydubai,» and emphasizing passenger benefits from the Dreamliner’s unique experience», said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

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Since its first order in 2008, flydubai has been strategically expanding its service range. The latest investment in Dreamliners, to be delivered from 2026, follows a history of substantial orders placed at previous airshows, totaling an order backlog of more than 130 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft due by 2035.

The airline operates a varied Boeing 737 fleet, servicing a wide network across Europe to South-East Asia. With the Middle East’s aviation market projected to double in the coming decades, flydubai’s latest order reflects the region’s ambition to maintain a cutting-edge fleet, with the 787-9 Dreamliner poised to play a crucial role in its strategy.