Emirates finalises US$56bn B777X order
02 / 03 / 2015
EMIRATES Airline has confirmed its order for 150 B777Xs, worth US$56billion at list prices, writes Thelma Etim, deputy editor.
The huge order includes a combination of 115 B777-9Xs and 35 B777-8Xs, as well as the purchase rights for an additional 50 ‘planes that could increase the value to approximately $75bn at list prices, says a company statement.
The B777X is said to have the most advanced commercial engine – the GE9X by GE Aviation – and an all-new high-efficiency composite wing that has a longer span than today’s B777, adds the statement.
"With this order, Emirates now has 208 B777s pending delivery, creating and securing jobs across the supply chain," says Emirates’ president Sir Tim Clark.
"Today we operate more than one in every 10 B777s built and we fly 138 of these efficient ‘planes across the globe, spanning the USA and Latin America in the west, to New Zealand and Japan in the east.
“The B777X will offer us operational flexibility in terms of range and fuel efficiency. We look forward to inducting them into our fleet from 2020," he adds.
Ray Conner, chief executive and president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, stresses: "Being a customer-driven product, I’m confident the B777X – with its new engines and all-new composite wing design – will bring superior value in terms of performance, efficiency and reliability to Emirates and our to other launch customers."
Design of the B777X is underway and production is set to begin in 2017, with first delivery targeted for 2020.
