As the Dubai Airshow opens on Sunday, all eyes will be on Boeing 777X, the newest addition to the highly successful 777 family of long-haul aircraft. The American company is widely expected to launch the airplane with a big order from the fast-growing Dubai carrier, Emirates.
Emirates is already the largest customer of Boeing 777s. Boeing photo
The airline has so far refused to comment on any potential deal, but it is already the largest operator of the 777s and the Airbus A380 superjumbos. “The 777X will include new engines, an all-new composite wing and will leverage technologies from the 787 Dreamliner,” Boeing said in a fact sheet posted in May. “The 777X will be the largest and most-efficient twin-engine jet in the world.”
Orders worth more than $63 billion were placed during the 2011 show, with Airbus winning a big portion of them. This year, all signs are leading to a mega order for Boeing.
Airbus has forecast that the Middle East will need 1,921 commercial aircraft by 2030 while Boeing has estimated the number to be at 2,520.
Flying high in Dubai: The Global Express flies past the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel. Bombardier file photo
Canada’s Bombardier Aerospace has set up a special pavilion for its brand new CSeries aircraft, specifically designed for the 100- to 149-seat market segment.“Closely following in the footsteps of the CSeries aircraft’s historic first flight on Sept. 16, invited guests to Bombardier’s unique CSeries pavilion will be able to view the full-scale passenger cabin and cockpit demonstrators of this game-changing aircraft,” the company said this week.
Bombardier has received 177 firm orders for the aircraft, 10 from Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain. Deliveries are expected to begin next fall.
Meanwhile, Bombardier’s static display will feature the wide-body Challenger 605 jet, the large Global 6000, and the Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner.
In all, 150 aircraft, including more than 50 business jets, will be on display at the five-day show at the new Dubai World central airport.
