Flydubai revises Boeing 737 Max order in latest fleet review

Flydubai revises Boeing 737 Max order in latest fleet review

Flydubai will reduce its order of Boeing 737 Max aircraft by slightly more than 25 per cent as part of a fleet review amid the Covid-19 pandemic that has severely affected the global aviation industry.

The budget airline reached an agreement with the US plane maker to reduce its order from 237 aircraft to 172, a flydubai spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"The changes to flydubai’s aircraft order follows a review of its fleet plans in line with the airline’s strategy of rebuilding the travel sector following the Covid-19 pandemic and the changing dynamics of the airline’s route structure," flydubai said.

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the global aviation industry hard, forcing airlines to preserve cash by grounding aircraft, deferring or cancelling plane deliveries and laying off or furloughing employees.

The Chicago-based company has been trying to restore confidence in the 737 Max – its best-selling model – that recently resumed flights after a two-year global ban prompted by two fatal crashes.

"We value our strong partnership with flydubai and regret the significant impact that the 737 Max grounding has had on their business," Boeing said.

"We are pleased to have reached a solution that helps them manage through that and the impact of the pandemic, and adjust their fleet requirements accordingly."

The all-Boeing operator adjusted the plane orders it placed in 2013 and 2017 during the Dubai Airshow, where it made headlines with record aircraft purchases.

The state-owned airline currently has a fleet of 52 Boeing 737 jets. Of these, it operates 13 Max 8s and three Max 9s. It also has 36 Boeing 737-800s, the predecessor to the Max.