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FlyDubai is in discussions with both Boeing and Airbus regarding a major narrow-body aircraft order. The carrier, which currently has an all Boeing fleet, has been impacted significantly by Boeing’s inability to deliver aircraft on schedule, causing them to re-evaluate their single supplier arrangement.
Currently, the carrier has 127 aircraft from an order for 251 that remain undelivered, and is frustrated with delays in receiving aircraft it requires for growth. CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith indicated that the carrier wants to make a fleet decision for the next ten years, and that a new order would “certainly” be larger than their prior order for 175 Boeing MAX aircraft. “The opportunity is always there and there’s a choice for both Airbus and Boeing,” said Ghaith.
Last week the airline was informed by Boeing that it would not be receiving additional aircraft in 2024, frustrating the carrier’s growth plans. With uncertainty as to when Boeing can deliver the aircraft on order, the CEO described the situation as “a moment of pure frustration.” FlyDubai is now examining how to increase utilization with the existing fleet to ameliorate some of the impact of delivery shortfalls.
While Boeing is frustrating the carrier with late deliveries, Airbus skyline itself is quite full through 2030, and Airbus has been turning down airlines that need deliveries sooner than that timeframe. While the problems ramping-up at Airbus have not been safety-related, as have those at Boeing, the shortfalls nonetheless create difficult decisions for the OEMs faces with multi-billion orders.
Boeing was recently successful in closing a deal for 787s with FlyDubai as it expands internationally. It will be interesting to see if Boeing is able to keep FlyDubai as a Boeing only customer with the next order.
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