Massive Emirates Announcements

It has been one of the Emirates’ busiest weeks since conception, with many landmark announcements.

The airline took the opportunity of the Dubai Airshow 2025 to announce several aircraft orders, updates on its active fleet and even the fate of the A380.

So, which planes were ordered, and what has Emirates confirmed will take place inside its aircraft to elevate customer satisfaction levels?

A 777X Order

Emirates’ biggest agreement reached during the Dubai Airshow 2025 was with Boeing, where there were 65 additional units ordered for the 777-9, part of the 777X family.

Worth USD 37 billion at list price for Boeing, the purchase provides a substantial boost to the backlog for a model that is nearing 6 years of delays and remains uncertified. It also follows much reporting about the airline’s frustration with the program.

The 777X has long been expected to play a crucial role in the airline’s future operations, but with the plane so heavily delayed, this has presented many struggles for the airline in its pursuit of fleet renewal and growth.

The latest contract agreement does, however, mean that the airline’s reliance on the 777 family, and certainly the 777X, will be colossal, with 270 of the state-of-the-art upcoming long-haul jet on order, and an order book comprising 315 broader Boeing aircraft, with the 787 and 777F also included.

More importantly, away from a purchase of the 777X, Emirates was able to get Boeing to confirm that it would proceed with a feasibility study for a new model in the 777X series, dubbed the 777-10.

The 777-10, if released, would become the third passenger variant and additionally the largest model in the series and largest model produced by the planemaker, coming in direct response to airlines such as Emirates’ request for larger aircraft to be released.

The Airbus A350 Ordered

Alongside a landmark purchase of the Boeing 777X, Emirates further strengthened its commitment to the Airbus A350 family by ordering eight additional A350-900s.

Having taken delivery of only 13 units thus far, the total commitment now stands at 73 planes, meaning 60 of this type still need to be delivered. The agreement is valued at USD 3.4 billion based on list prices.

Emirates said that, based on delivery forecasts when it signed the deal, the expectation was that deliveries would commence in 2031, allowing the company to plan for essential capacity to be made available at that time.

While a commitment for the A350-900 stole headlines, it was ultimately not the only focal point, with a fair amount of interest in the A350-1000 before the show began.

However, Emirates confirmed that an order for the A350-1000 was never forthcoming, despite heavy commentary from industry sources, saying it had only ever set its sights on purchasing additional A350-900 models.

Early reporting indicated the airline was seeking to obtain 30 more aircraft, with options for additional units as part of a drive for more high-capacity aircraft in a world where planemakers are no longer prioritising the production of superjumbos.

Airbus A380s To Remain Into 2040s

For the Airbus A380 fleet, there was further positive news: the Dubai-based carrier confirmed it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Rolls-Royce.

The MoU involves Emirates’ approval to perform Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), or more commonly referred to as MRO, on the Trent 900 engines on the Airbus A380 fleet.

Under the agreement, work would be completed by 2027, with a new facility to be constructed; this announcement helps Emirates better control the fate of its A380 fleet moving forward.

Emirates, at the same time, signed a deal that would extend the TotalCare agreement with Rolls-Royce into the 2040s, key to maintaining these planes moving forward.

The Dubai-based carrier has already highlighted that its intent remains to keep the A380 fleet active into the 2040s, but it’s aware of the challenges that persist, primarily driven by the unknown.

President Tim Clark said the jet was spec’d to 20 years, and as a result, there remains great uncertainty over what the future holds beyond 2041. Agreements such as these are crucial.

Emirates Confirms Starlink

Moving inside the aircraft, Emirates confirmed that it would be elevating in-flight connectivity for passenger moving forward with the rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi connectivity across its entire fleet.

As part of this investment, which will hopefully be completed by the mid-point of 2027, Emirates will offer customers an ultra-fast in-flight service that replicates the connectivity on the ground.

Best of all, the airline says the service will be complimentary regardless of the cabin you’re in, meaning no customer will pay anything extra to use ultra-fast Wi-Fi across the fleet.

Emirates says that over the next two years, 232 aircraft will be equipped with the connectivity, A6-EPF having already welcomed the change as this aircraft was on display at the Dubai Airshow, entering back into the network immediately after the completion of this show.

Emirates is hopeful it can install Starlink on 14 aircraft each month. Priority in the latter stages of this year will be with the Boeing 777 fleet. Connectivity on the A380 will begin in February 2026.

How this will work is that two antennas on each Boeing 777 unit will be installed, and an industry-first three antennas on each A380; this means Emirates will be able to bring passengers the highest levels of connectivity, irrespective of cabin class.