Dubai Airshow: Tracking the Biggest Aircraft Buyers

10.11.2023 - 19:59 / skift.com / Tony Douglas

The 18th Dubai Airshow is upon us, and this year’s is setting up as a contest between UAE and Saudi Arabia – which country will order more aircraft? 

Skift will be covering the event at the Dubai World Centre Airport from November 13 to 17. The 2021 airshow was the first major one after the Covid-19 pandemic and had 104,000 attendees. 

One thing we’ll be tracking is commercial orders from at least 5 big buyers. 

Emirates: All eyes will be on Emirates, but there are no orders in the pipeline from it yet. The airline already has a large number of Boeing 787/777X and Airbus A350 orders outstanding, but it might be out shopping for cargo aircraft. 

Given the build-up in the region, with Saudi Arabia now investing heavily in its aviation sector, Emirates might open its checkbook to protect its turf. 

FlyDubai: However, FlyDubai, a regional carrier, might be ready with an announcement. CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith had indicated earlier that they would place an order in Q4 2023. The airline already has 137 737 MAX aircraft pending delivery from Boeing. However, it would perhaps like to plan for a longer-term pipeline, given that some OEMs are sold out on their narrowbody capacity through 2030. 

Riyadh Air: Saudi Arabia’s newest airline, Riyadh Air, might have some announcements to make at the airshow. The airline has already announced an order of 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft with options for another 33. CEO Tony Douglas has discussed a sizeable narrowbody order, estimated at up to 400 aircraft in industry circles. 

Akasa Air: Indian carriers are the next in line to announce some aircraft commitments. Akasa Air had ordered 72 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the 2021 edition of the airshow. Founder and CEO Vinay Dube has talked openly about a “triple-digit order” before the end of the year, and DAS is the perfect place to put an announcement out. The airline needs to order now to protect its growth if it wants to become a real competitor to IndiGo.

IndiGo: IndiGo has been running assessments on a widebody order and may also go ahead with its order. However, it is hard to say if the A330neo will win the contest or if Boeing would have convinced IndiGo to look at the 787 for their widebody order. The airline has been an Airbus customer since its inception but recently inducted two 777s on damp lease from Turkish Airlines to support flights to Istanbul. 

Amongst other airlines that may consider aircraft orders are Flyadeal, a Saudia subsidiary and a low-cost airline. 

The Dubai Airshow is also known to attract a large number of aircraft on display from both airlines and manufacturers, including Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, Gulfstream. 

Airbus will bring an assortment of aircraft, including the A321neo, A321P2F (passenger to