Dubai Airshow kicked off yesterday with a bang, with Emirates locking in a massive USD 38 bn order of Boeing aircraft, as well as an agreement to roll out Starlink’s satellite internet across its fleet, Flydubai securing an order of engines, and Tawazun and Edge Group making headway with local and international cooperation agreements.

EMIRATES + FLYDUBAI-

Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates is acquiring 65 jets of Boeing’s 777-9 model for USD 38 bn, according to a statement. Boeing will start making deliveries on the order starting 2Q 2027, Emirates Chairman Ahmed Saeed Al Maktoum said. The order will be powered by GE Aerospace’s GE9X engines, with Emirates locking in an agreement for 130 units — bringing its orderbook of this engine model to 540 units in total.

Firing up Emirates’ orderbook: Already boasting a 269-jet fleet, the carrier now has a total orderbook of 367 jets — encompassing 315 widebody models from Boeing (including this order) and 52 Airbus A350-900s.

The move also supports Boeing’s feasibility study to develop its new 777-10 model — a larger version of its current 777X family — with Emirates signing up for options to convert its latest 777-9 order into the awaited 777-10 or the 777-8, Al Maktoum added.

Emirates will begin receiving deliveries of 777-9s starting 2Q 2027, Emirates said. Boeing has been facing certification delays for its latest jet putting it seven years behind schedule on deliveries. Emirates President Tim Clark has been vocal about the inconvenience the late deliveries have caused, as they pushed the company to invest in a costly retrofit program to extend the lifespan of its current fleet.

REMEMBER- Airbus is also in the ring for an Emirates order: Airbus has also been linked to talks with Emirates for the purchase of its A350 model, despite Emirates President Tim Clark’s earlier criticism of Airbus’ engines.

ALSO FROM EMIRATES- Faster Internet for all? Emirates will equip all 232 aircraft in its in-service widebody fleet with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet, beginning with Boeing 777s this month and completing the rollout by mid-2027, according to Dubai Media Office. This is the first official confirmation of the agreement after months of talks we first reported back in May, when Emirates was still navigating certification and regulatory hurdles.

What’s planned: The airline will install two antennas on each 777 and three on each A380 — an industry first — and aims to retrofit about 14 aircraft each month with Starlink. The upgrade will enable high-speed connectivity across all cabins and position Emirates to operate the largest international widebody fleet with Starlink installed.

Dubai budget carrier flydubai tapped GE Aerospace for an order of 60 GEnx-1B engines — set to power the airline’s first widebody fleet ordered back in 2023, according to a statement. The terms of the agreement include spare engines and long-term service contracts to support flydubai’s launch of long-haul operations.

More to come from the budget airline? Flydubai is expected to announce an order consisting of 200 narrow-body planes, with an option for 100 more sometime during the event. Separate reports from Bloomberg and Reuters suggest that Airbus and Boeing are both in the lead to land the majority of the order.

EDGE, AMMROC, AND TAWAZUN-

#1– Edge and Indra move into European smart weapons: State-owned defense firm Edge Group and Spanish defense systems company Indra Sistemas have signed an MoU to establish a joint venture in Spain focused on developing and manufacturing loitering munitions and smart weapons for Spanish, European, and select international markets, according to a press release (pdf).

REMEMBER- The move builds on an existing Edge-Indra partnership, announced in March 2024 and launched that same year in December, for radar system development. Later in February, Edge Group’s naval arm Abu Dhabi Ship Building inked an agreement with Indra to integrate radar, communications electronic support, and counter-unmanned aerial systems into ADSB’s vessels.

#2- Ammroc and Boeing partner: The UAE’s dedicated military aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) provider Ammroc and Boeing have inked an MoU to scope out joint work on CH-47 component MRO, Wam reports. The MoU lays out a framework to evaluate potential MRO work for selected CH-47 helicopter parts — including hydraulics, landing gear, electrical and drive-system components — subject to US State Department export approvals. The exploratory framework leaves space for a formal agreement later.

#3- UAE defense and security authority Tawazun inked AED 3.8 bn agreements on behalf of the Defense Ministry during the Airshow, with six local contracts worth AED 3 bn and two international contracts totalling AED 725 mn, Wam reports.The breakdown:

  • UAE-based air navigation firm Global Air Navigation Services (GANS) secured the largest contract, with AED 1.3 bn for air navigation services and specialized manpower;
  • Abu Dhabi’s Global Aerospace Logistics (GAL) was awarded AED 600 mn for follow-on support, spares and technical services;
  • International Golden Group (IGG) landed two contracts: AED 415 mn for aircraft support and AED 299 mn to manufacture airdrop parachutes;
  • Maximus Air received AED 293 mn to rent aircraft, while Abu Dhabi Shipping Agency secured AED 137 mn under a similar structure.

International contracts added AED 725 mn: Airbus Helicopters signed an AED 512 mn agreement for HCare support services for the helicopter fleet, while Brazilian aerospace company Embraer secured a AED 212 mn contract to produce VIP aircraft for the Defense Ministry.

Tawazun also partnered with Russian state arms exporters Rosoboronexport, to expand cooperation in defense and security industries, Wam reported. The MoU aims to strengthen industrial participation, share expertise in defense production, and identify possible collaboration across R&D, technology transfer, and supply chains.

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