Emirates, the largest customer for the Boeing 777X, has placed an order for 65 additional aircraft, which can be for any size in the 777X family, including a possible 777-10. Boeing has announced that it will be studying the feasibility of a larger version of the aircraft, the 777-10 that will likely be of interest for the carrier, who are supporting the study. The 65 additional aircraft bring their total orders for the program to 270 aircraft. Emirates is the largest operator of the existing 777 and the largest customer for the updated 777X.
Given the vociferous complaining from Emirates CEO Tim Clerk about the program delays only two weeks ago, an add-on order indicates that the feasibility study for a larger variant might provide just the aircraft that Tim Clark want to replace the 115 aging A380s in their fleet.
While certification the 777-9 has entered the third of five phases of certification flight testing and Boeing appears to be making progress, there is a little over a year to go, even if everything continues on the positive trend. Emirates, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific and Singapore, among others, are hoping that certification in early 2027 results in initial deliveries during the first quarter.
The Order is Significant
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “Emirates is already the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator and we are expanding our commitment to the programme today with additional orders worth US$ 38 billion for 65 Boeing 777-9s, and 130 GE9X engines. This is a long-term commitment and testament to our partnership with Boeing and GE, and to US aerospace.”
“Each of our aircraft on order has been carefully factored into Emirates’ expansion plan, which is aligned to Dubai’s growth plans. Flying a young and modern fleet with innovative cabin products has always been a cornerstone of Emirates’ strategy, and we look forward to continue working closely with Boeing to receive delivery of our first 777-9s from Q2 of 2027, and to equip our latest aircraft with state-of-the-art, industry-leading onboard products.”
Stephanie Pope, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes said: “We are deeply honored that Emirates has once again selected the Boeing 777X to power its future as the airline refreshes its world-class fleet and expands its vaunted global network. Boeing has been a proud supporter of Emirates over the past 40 years as the airline has grown into one of the world’s leading carriers and developed a reputation for excellence and innovation. We look forward to growing our partnership and for Emirates to fly Boeing airplanes for decades to come.”
The 777-10 is Key for Emirates
Commenting on the 777-10 study, HH Sheikh Ahmed said: “Emirates has been open about the fact that we are keen for manufacturers to build larger capacity aircraft, which are more efficient to operate especially with projected air traffic growth and increasing constraints at airports. We fully support Boeing’s feasibility study to develop the 777-10 and have options to convert our latest 777-9 order to the 777-10 or the 777-8.”
The Bottom Line
It is likely that airline management has heavily endorsed the concept of the 777-10, and plans to convert these orders to the larger variant if it emerges from the feasibility study that will involve both parties. Their Dubai operations need a more fuel efficient A380 replacement, and Boeing wants to maintain a gap above the A350-1000 and a potential larger variant under internal discussions, per our sources. Either way, the airline would win with larger aircraft joining the wide-body competitive landscape.
Listening to customers is another tenet of the cultural change underway at Boeing. The feasibility study for a larger 777-10 indicates that Emirates has now been heard. We suspect that the aircraft will turn out to be feasible, and that Emirates will become its launch customer in the 2031-2032 time frame.
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