The Dubai Air Show, which was held for five days from November 13, 2023 to November 17, 2023, has concluded. More than 1,400 exhibitors from 95 countries participated in this air show, and various companies brought in products they wanted to showcase. For this reason, not only aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers from the seller side, but also many airline stakeholders from the buyer side participated.
Particularly noteworthy was the news of orders from Airbus and Boeing, the world’s two largest aircraft manufacturers. Air shows are a gathering place for many media outlets, giving manufacturers an opportunity to highlight the popularity of their aircraft, and airlines receiving orders to highlight improvements in customer satisfaction, the environment, and safety with new aircraft. This will be an opportunity to do so. Therefore, orders tend to be concentrated at air shows, which are beneficial for both the ordering and ordering companies.
This time, we have ranked the number of aircraft ordered by aircraft for Airbus and Boeing aircraft at the Dubai Air Show. The information source is press releases from both companies. In addition, regarding orders, only confirmed orders are covered, and option rights are not covered.
3rd place: B787 series 47 aircraft
https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2023-11-13-flydubai-Orders-30-Boeing-787-Dreamliners,-Its-First-Widebody-Airplanes#assets_all
In third place was the B787 series, with orders for 47 aircraft. The orderers were Royal Air Maroc for two planes, Royal Jordanian for four planes, Ethiopian Airlines for 11 planes, and flydubai for 30 planes, for a total of 47 planes. Although 14 years have passed since the B787 series made its first flight in December 2009, orders for the B787 series have increased more than its rival, the A330neo. We have received support from many airlines, including a small number of additional orders from airlines that have already introduced it, as well as orders from new airlines like FlyDubai.
2nd place: B737MAX series 72 aircraft
In second place was the B737 MAX series with 72 aircraft. The orderer is SCAT Airlines for 7 aircraft, Ethiopian Airlines for 20 aircraft, and Sun Express for 45 aircraft (there are option rights for 45 other aircraft, but they are not counted). Of note is the order received from Ethiopian Airlines. The company was involved in a B737 MAX 8 crash in March 2019, and while a design flaw by Boeing was blamed, four years have passed since the accident, and countries around the world have questioned the safety of the same type of aircraft. It has been approved by aviation authorities and many aircraft are in operation. Given these circumstances, it is presumed that the aircraft was selected as a successor to the 18 B737-800s currently in service.
1st place: B777X series 90 aircraft
The upper aircraft is a B787, and the lower aircraft is a B777X.
https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2023-11-13-Emirates-Orders-Nearly-100-More-Boeing-Widebody-Airplanes#assets_all
The B777X series took first place with 90 aircraft. The orderer is Emirates Airlines for 90 aircraft. Additionally, Emirates has already ordered the B777X series, and with the addition of this order for 90 aircraft, the total number of B777X series aircraft ordered by Emirates is 205. As of 2023, Emirates is operating nearly 150 B777 series aircraft (mainly B777-300ER aircraft), and it is assumed that these B777 series will be replaced in the future.
Emirates is the world’s largest operator of A380 aircraft, with 116 aircraft currently in service. However, the final A380 aircraft (line number 272) was delivered to Emirates Airlines in December 2021, and production has ended. Therefore, it is thought that the B777X series is also intended to replace the A380 aircraft.
Number of machines ordered by manufacturer
Airbus
| Manufacturer | Model | Number of aircraft | Airline |
| Airbus | A350 | 10 | Egypt Air |
| Airbus | A350 | 11 | Ethiopian Airlines |
| Airbus | A350 | 15 | Emirates |
| Airbus | A220 | 30 | Air Baltic |
| 66 |
Boeing
| Manufacturer | Model | Number of aircraft | Airline |
| Boeing | B787 | 2 | royal air maroc |
| Boeing | B787 | 4 | Royal Jordanian Airlines |
| Boeing | B737MAX | 7 | SCAT |
| Boeing | B787 | 11 | Ethiopian Airlines |
| Boeing | B737MAX | 20 | Ethiopian Airlines |
| Boeing | B787 | 30 | Fly Dubai |
| Boeing | B737MAX | 45 | Sun Express |
| Boeing | B777X | 90 | Emirates |
| 207 |
I myself thought that JAL would place an additional order for the A330neo or B787 series as a successor to the B767 series at this Dubai Air Show, but there was no particular news. They may be considering the timing of ordering as aircraft prices are rising due to the weak yen. In addition, as aviation demand is rapidly recovering around the world, foreign airlines are rushing to place orders for aircraft, and with the backlog of orders at Boeing and Airbus expanding, Japanese airlines have been slow to place orders. It is also possible that you are not in a hurry.