As the sun sets on what has been an action-filled Wednesday at the 
Dubai Airshow 2025, it’s time to take a look back at some of the day’s top stories. UAE-based carriers dominated proceedings on Wednesday, with both Emirates and flydubai placing major orders that look set to boost the country’s connectivity.
On this front, flydubai also made multiple announcements pertaining to the finer details of the onboard experience on its incoming widebody twinjet fleet of 30 
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Elsewhere, Airbus picked up where it left off yesterday orders-wise by putting pen to paper on multiple smaller deals.
Emirates Places Another Widebody Order
One of the day’s key headlines was Emirates’ order for another eight examples of the Airbus A350-900. This takes its total commitment for the type to 73 units, of which 13 examples have been delivered since the modern widebody twinjet entered service with the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier this time last year. Based on aircraft list prices, which most airlines don’t pay due to bulk and loyalty discounts, the deal is worth $3.4 billion.
Combined with the previously announced order for 65 more Boeing 777-9 aircraft from the US planemaking juggernaut’s upcoming 777X series, this means that Emirates has now committed to $41.4 billion worth of widebody aircraft (based on list prices) during the Dubai Airshow. The carrier has plenty to look forward to as far as continuing to grow its already huge fleet is concerned, as Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, its Chair and CEO, noted:
“Together with the additional Boeing 777-9 order announced earlier this week, Emirates now has a total of 375 units of the latest widebody aircraft on its orderbook. This is a massive investment in our future.”
A Non-Stop Day For flydubai
If Emirates can be said to have had a good Wednesday at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, the day that its UAE-based partner flydubai enjoyed was nothing short of spectacular. The Dubai-based airline was the subject of four announcements at the show today, with the first coming when it revealed to the world that it has signed comprehensive training agreements with Boeing. This deal will see support provided for both pilots and maintenance staff.
Shortly afterward, speaking to Simple Flying, flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith confirmed that the carrier’s incoming widebody twinjet fleet of 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners would feature a premium economy cabin as part of a three-class layout. Later on, further passenger experience details were revealed when Panasonic Avionics announced that flydubai had chosen its ‘Astrovia’ solution to provide in-flight entertainment on its Boeing 787s.
Having made headlines earlier in the week by signing a Memorandum of Understanding for 150 Airbus A321neos (plus 100 options), the carrier also committed to further narrowbody fleet growth today with the confirmation of a similar MoU with Boeing. Valued at $13 billion based on list prices, this deal has seen flydubai commit to purchasing another 75 aircraft from the Boeing 737 MAX family, alongside options for 75 more of the new jets.
This Airline Is Growing Its 737 Fleet By 15% Through December
The carrier will have almost 100 aircraft at its disposal by the end of the year.
The Best Of The Rest
On the sidelines of the show, Airbus also tied up two smaller details for some of its newer twinjets today. Firstly, it put pen to paper with Silk Way West Airlines to provide the cargo carrier with another two examples of the upcoming A350F, taking the airline’s total commitment to the type to four units. The manufacturer welcomed the deal, saying it will “form the backbone of Silk Way West Airlines’ fleet modernisation and expansion strategy.”
Separately to this, Airbus also scored itself a new customer on the passenger aircraft side of things by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with private Libyan airline Buraq Air. The carrier has committed to purchasing 10 narrowbody twinjets from the Airbus A320neo family, with Benoit de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus’s EVP of Commercial Aircraft Sales, saying that the deal “reinforces the A320neo as the aircraft of choice for fleet modernisation.”
