The fourth day of the 
Dubai Airshow 2025 is now drawing to a close. While Thursday may have lacked the major orders of previous days, there were still plenty of deals being tied up, particularly in the fields of maintenance and aircraft leasing. Once again, Middle Eastern carriers were at the heart of the action, and it has often been these airlines that have continued to make headlines as the airshow has gone on during this week.
Indeed, Dubai-based UAE flag carrier 
Emirates penned two different deals on the maintenance front, while its Middle Eastern neighbor Royal Jordanian Airlines put its name down for another two Airbus A321neos on lease from Avolon. Elsewhere, Ethiopian Airlines signed lease and seat deals that will see it both grow its fleet and enhance the onboard passenger experience for premium guests. Let’s take a look at what occurred!
Another Busy Day For Ethiopian Airlines
This year’s Dubai Airshow has been a rather busy one for Ethiopian Airlines, and Africa’s largest carrier continued its scintillating form today. First of all, aircraft finance and leasing solutions company Novus Aviation Capital announced that it would be placing two examples of the Airbus A350-900 at the airline. It has been a big week for Ethiopian Airlines and its Airbus A350-900 fleet, with the carrier having ordered another six units at the airshow.
Separately to this deal, but somewhat related, was Ethiopian Airlines‘ announcement of a seating deal that it had signed with Collins Aerospace. The carrier has teamed up with the company to provide premium seating on its Airbus A350 and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, respectively choosing the Collins Elevation and Collins Parallel Diamond models. Commenting on this deal, Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Operating Officer Retta Melaku said:
“As a customer-centric airline, we are thrilled to collaborate with Collins Aerospace and invest in products that would take our customers’ comfort and overall flight experience to the next level.”
Emirates Signs Multiple Engineering Deals
It wouldn’t be the Dubai Airshow without Emirates being front and center, and the hometown hero and UAE flag carrier continued its strong form today with the signing of two more deals. These included receiving approval from the General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates to make major aircraft modifications. These will be carried out by the Emirates Engineering Department through supplementary type certificates.
Such processes “include major cabin reconfigurations and complex design changes,” and bringing them in-house will “provide Emirates with greater control over timelines, costs, and innovation priorities.” Until now, Emirates has had to rely on third parties to carry out this work, but it no longer needs to do so. As it happens, this would end up being one of a pair of announcements made by Emirates today that both related to engineering.
Indeed, Emirates has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rolls-Royce to bring its engine maintenance work on its Airbus A380 fleet in-house from 2027. The Dubai-based UAE flag carrier’s superjumbos are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, for which the airline “has also extended the TotalCare service agreement (…) into the 2040s.” In order to support this initiative, Emirates plans to build a new specialist facility.
Examined: How, When & Why Aircraft Have Their Engines Replaced
Aircraft engines are put under extreme stress during each take-off and landing.
Royal Jordanian Leases Two Airbus A321neos From Avolon
Another major Middle Eastern carrier that has been in the news today is oneworld member 
Royal Jordanian Airlines. Indeed, major aircraft lessor Avolon announced today that it had put pen to paper with the black-liveried carrier on a deal to provide it with another two leased examples of the Airbus A321neo.
These aircraft will be delivered to the airline in 2027 and 2028. The two parties have a strong working relationship, with Avolon having already sealed a lease deal to provide eight A321neos to Royal Jordanian Airlines earlier this year, of which seven have already been delivered. With these new narrowbody twinjets in its fleet, the carrier can, as Avolon puts it, pursue expansion “in key markets across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.”
