Dubai Air Show: Up and away | The Economist

Dubai Air Show: Up and away | The Economist:

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TEN years ago, as he announced record orders of $19 billion of aircraft from Boeing and Airbus for the Emirates airline at the Paris Air Show, the ruler of Dubai told the world that the aviation industry was about to change. Last weekend’s Dubai Air Show revealed how true that prediction was: the big three Persian Gulf carriers (Emirates and the smaller Etihad and Qatar Airlines) ordered more than 320 long-haul planes worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Most notable was Emirates's order for 150 of the 777X, the latest version of Boeing’s best-selling long-haul plane, in a deal worth $76 billion. The aircraft maker also landed orders for another 75 of the 777X from Etihad and Qatar, taking the total to $130 billion. No other model in the category of twin-engine planes ever had a faster launch. Airbus trailed in total orders, but secured an unexpected boost with sales of 50 more of its super-jumbo A380 planes to Emirates and 50 of its long-haul A350s to Etihad, the Abu Dhabi airline."

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