The second day of the Dubai Airshow brought in a flurry of agreements from the region’s aviation giants, with Airbus snatching the bulk of new jet orders in contrast to the first day, which saw Boeing take the cake. Other signings also included leasing contracts, MRO agreements, as well as collabs on manufacturing, cargo, and SAF.

AIRBUS ORDERS-

#1- Etihad Airways is expanding its fleet with 32 Airbus widebody aircraft, secured via direct orders and lease arrangements, with the earliest delivery set for 2027, according to a press release. The direct orders include three A350F freighters, six A330-900s aircraft, and seven A350-1000s, according to a statement. The carrier will also lease nine A330-900s from Irish aviation leasing player Avolon.

All part of the bigger picture: Etihad Airways plans to acquire 200 aircraft by 2030 — including 60 widebodies — Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves noted at the Dubai Airshow. The firm will allocate USD 10 bn capital deployment over the next five years, funded entirely through cashflows, at USD 2 bn per year. This dovetails with the carrier’s plan to add 16 destinations this year.

Etihad’s growing fleet: Etihad Airways has so far committed to 60 widebody aircraft, following up on its USD 14.5 bn order for 28 Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft. The airline’s current operating fleet reached 115 aircraft this year — marking a 19% y-o-y increase from last year’s figures, with half of the boost coming from 3Q deliveries.

#2- Airbus snaps up long-awaited flydubai order: Dubai-based carrier flydubai placed an order with European manufacturer Airbus for 150 of the narrow-body A321 aircraft in a major expansion of the budget airline’s capacity, according to a statement. The value of the acquisition was not disclosed.

This is flydubai’s first Airbus order ever, reflecting the carrier’s push to diversify its fleet as it pursues its expansion plans, the National reported, citing the airline’s Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who is also Emirates’s chairman and CEO. The move surprised some industry analysts, who say that changing manufacturers is usually a fraught choice for carriers due to the associated operational complexity and cost hikes on both the operational and workforce levels, the National said. Flydubai currently operates a fleet of exclusively narrow-body Boeing models.

Background: flydubai has been expected to announce an order for 200 narrow-body planes from Boeing and Airbus at this week’s Dubai Airshow, with an option for 100 more. Today’s order confirms earlier reports from Bloomberg and Reuters that Airbus was set to beat its rival Boeing in securing the majority of the flydubai order.

ICYMI- flydubai tapped GE Aerospace for an order of 60 GEnx-1B engines during the show’sfirst day, which are set to power the airline’s first widebody order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners starting in 2023.

#3- Air Europa plans purchase of 40 A350-900s: Spanish airline Air Europa has inked an MoU with Airbus to secure up to 40 of the widebody A350-900 aircraft, according to a press release. The A350 acquisition is expected to accelerate the replacement of Air Europa’s existing long-haul fleet and raise net income on routes to key Latin American markets.

REMEMBER- Turkish Airlines is buying a minority stake in Air Europa for USD 300 mn, with the formal bid approved earlier this month. Most of the funding will come from a capital increase, with the stake size estimated between 25% and 27%.

BOEING ORDERS-

Gulf Air taps Boeing for three additional 787 Dreamliners: Bahrain’s Gulf Air increased its firm order with Boeing to 15 787 Dreamliners, with an option to add three more, according to a statement. The order builds on the carrier’s initial purchase agreement for 12 of the narrow-body models from Boeing, inked back in July.

MANUFACTURING-

Mubadala’s aerospace manufacturing unit Strata is eyeing manufacturing aircraft-engine parts for the first time as the sector faces a global shortage, acting CEO Sara Al Memari told The National. She said the Al Ain-based unit is pushing to close an agreement in 1Q 2026 but did not disclose the counterparty.

Strata could supply carbon-fiber materials for Boeing’s 777X, Al Memari said, adding the company is still negotiating which structures the materials will support. The Strata Syensqo Advanced Material plant in Al Ain, built with Belgium’s Syensqo, is in the qualification phase and targets production by end-1Q 2026. She said the facility is fully committed for the next 10 years but did not disclose volumes or contract value.

CARGO + MRO + SAF COLLABS-

#1- Mubadala’s aerospace engineering and leasing arm Sanad Group and Abu Dhabi Airports signed a 50-year land usufruct agreement that will allocate Sanad two plots of land totaling 70k sqm in Al Ain’s Nibras Aerospace Park, Al Etihad reports. The group will build a dedicated MRO center for Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan engines and a two-unit engine test complex.

#2- Emirates, Collins Aerospace amend MRO pact: Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates has expanded its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) agreement with aerospace solutions provider Collins Aerospace, according to a statement. The amendment will increase maintenance service availability for the landing gears of the carrier’s A380 jets. The parties inked the original MRO agreement at the Dubai Airshow in 2023.

#3- Qatar Airways also tapped Collins for fleet management: Qatari flag carrier Qatar Airways has entered into an agreement with Collins Aerospace to utilize its Ascentia analytics services for managing its fleet of Boeing jets, according to a statement.

#4- Radia taps Maximus Air to support future launch of mega freighter jet: US-based jet maker startup Radia has inked an MoU with Abu Dhabi-based cargo carrier Maximus Air to explore the future operations and deployment pathways for Radia’s WindRunner — a jumbo-sized cargo plane currently under development designed to transport cargo as big as football field-sized turbine blades, according to a press release. Under the agreement, Maximus Air will help “prepare for WindRunner’s commercial entry into service,” Radia’s CEO Mark Lundstrom said, with the pair looking to explore route development options and customer needs.

Uh, WindRunner? The WindRunner is 80 ft longer than the world’s largest military aircraft. The jet could be a game changer for wind energy, as it can carry blades with tips reaching 300 ft higher than the current average, allowing these blades to produce twice as much energy as current onshore turbines. The WindRunner has already secured its first customer and will deliver turbines to a 1GW project in Nevada once the plane is certified to fly. The company is reportedly eying 2029 for its first flight.

#5- Enoc + MENA Biofuels partner on SAF: Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc) has signed an MoU with Mercantile & Maritime Group's subsidiary MENA Biofuels to collaborate on the offtake, supply, and distribution of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), according to a statement from Dubai Media Office. The parties will work toward integrating SAF output from MENA Biofuels’ AED 2.2 bn biofuel processing facility under development at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone.

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