Emirates orders 50 Airbus A350 planes worth $16bn

The Dubai-based airline Emirates on Monday said that it had ordered 50 Airbus A350 planes worth a total of 16 billion dollars.

The company ordered an additional 20 jets during the Dubai Air Show, in addition to the 30 A350s that were announced earlier in the year.

The first plane is expected to arrive in May 2023, with deliveries expected to continue until 2028, Emirates said in a statement.

“Today, we are pleased to sign a firm order for 50 A350 XWBs,’’ said Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive.

Saeed Al Maktoum said the deal “will give us added operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment.

“In effect, we are strengthening our business model to provide efficient and comfortable air transport services to, and through, our Dubai hub.’’

Emirates’ fleet includes Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 planes.

Airbus announced in February that it would halt production of the A380 superjumbo jet.

The Airbus A380 is the world’s largest passenger airliner, a wide-body aircraft manufactured by Airbus.

Airbus studies started in 1988 and the project was announced in 1990 to challenge the dominance of the  Boeing 747 in the long haul market. (