Etihad Airways and flydubai followed Emirates’ lead with two aircraft orders on Dubai Airshow ’s second day, though this time, Airbus is in the spotlight. Plus: Emirates is planning a new business seat manufacturing facility and Strata is eyeing manufacturing engine parts.

AIRCRAFT ORDERS-

#1- Airbus snaps up flydubai order: Dubai-based carrier flydubai placed an order with European manufacturer Airbus for 150 A321 aircrafts — a major capacity expansion for the budget airline, according to a statement. The value of the acquisition, which marks the budget airline’s first with Airbus, was not disclosed.

Could there be more coming? We’ve been expecting flydubai to announce an order consisting of 200 narrow-body planes with an option for 100 more at this week’s airshow. 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 also tapped GE Aerospace for an order of 60 GEnx-1B engines during the show’s first day — set to power the airline’s first widebody order for 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners placed back in 2023.

ALSO FROM FLYDUBAI- The airline inked an agreement with SpaceX to integrate Starlink connectivity across its fleet, according to a statement. Starlink will provide in-flight connectivity for the airline’s fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, with a rollout planned across 100 planes from next year.

REMEMBER- Flydubai’s parent firm Emirates will also equip all 232aircraft 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.

#2- Etihad Airways is expanding its fleet with 32 Airbus widebody jets, secured via direct orders and leases, with the earliest delivery set for 2027, according to a press release. The direct orders include three A350F freighters, six A330-900s, and seven A350-1000s, according to a separate statement. The carrier is also leasing 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 over the next five years in expansion, funded entirely from its own coffers. Etihad Airways has so far made 60 commitments for widebody aircraft, with another USD 14.5 bn order for 28 Boeing 787 and 777X aircraft made earlier this year.

MANUFACTURING-

#1- Emirates to set up new seat manufacturing plant: Emirates inked an MoU with French aerospace firm Safran to set up a new aircraft seat manufacturing and assembly plant in Dubai, according to a statement on X. The facility, which will initially focus on business and economy class retrofits before expanding to new planes, is scheduled for completion in 4Q 2027. It is expected to assemble up to 1k business class seats a year in its first phase of operation.

#2- 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.

#3- 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.

DEFENSE-

#1- Edge Group signed a USD 7 bn financing and procurement agreement with Indonesian defense firm Republikorp to localize production in Indonesia, covering procurement and tech transfer, Wam reports. The program spans air defense, land systems, naval platforms, cyber defense, and ammunition.

#2- UAE defense and security authority Tawazun Council inked another AED 6.3 bn worth of agreements during the airshow, bringing the total so far to AED 10 bn, state news agency Wam reports. The agreements include a AED 5.9 bn contract for Global Aerospace Logistics for aircraft maintenance, a AED 279 mn contract for Calidus to upgrade Black Hawk, as well as agreements withAvital Technical Services and US-based Lockheed Martin for technical and logistical support.

#3- UAE rolls out homegrown Badr-250 aircraft: Local defense firm Calidus unveiled the Badr-250, the first light attack aircraft to be fully designed and manufactured in the UAE, according to a press release. The aircraft has completed its maiden flight and qualification tests, and is built for close air support, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, counterinsurgency, and pilot training.

Calidus has been scaling up local manufacturing: The firm recently joined the UAE’s in-country value program to boost local procurement and industrial capacity and signed an MoU with Tawazun Industrial Park to expand its manufacturing footprint.

SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUELS-

Enoc + MENA Biofuels partner up 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 the Dubai Media Office. The parties will work toward integrating SAF output from MENA Biofuels’ AED 2.2 bn biofuel processing facility — currently under development at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone.

AUTONOMOUS MOBILITY-

Abu Dhabi Airports + Beta Tech beef up vertiport infrastructure: Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with US eVTOL manufacturer Beta Technologies to integrate its Charge Cube and Battery Thermal Management System chargers to support the UAE’s network of vertiports, according to a press release. Abu Dhabi plans to launch a network of10 vertiports linking key residential, business, and tourist hotspots like Yas Island, Saadiyat, and Abu Dhabi Island.

Tags: