Boeing, Emirates Announce Order For 12 777-300ERs

DUBAI - Emirates and Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced an order for 12 777-300ERs on the opening day of the Dubai Air Show. The approximate value of the airplane deal is $3.2 billion at list prices. The airplane order was previously listed on Boeing's orders and deliveries website as unidentified.

"Emirates is a premier example of an airline making the utmost of the 777's spacious cabin and taking advantage of the 777's overall operational advantages and fuel efficiency," says Lee Monson, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of Sales for the Middle East and Africa. "Having an airline of this caliber as your biggest customer speaks volumes about the benefits offered by the 777 family."

Emirates' current backlog of orders for the 777 will result in nearly one airplane per month on average rolling off Boeing's Everett assembly line for the next four to five years.

"We have found the 777s to be excellent aircraft -- they are efficient to operate and give us flexibility in balancing range and payload. That is why we have ordered so many of them," said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates' chairman and chief executive. "The 777s will form the backbone of our long-range fleet, allowing Emirates to serve more far-away cities in the Americas, Far East and Australasia with nonstop flights from Dubai. Already, Emirates' Boeing 777 aircraft can be seen on six continents."

Emirates global network includes 97 cities on six continents, including 10 cargo-only destinations. The airline will begin direct service to Houston on December 3.

Emirates' current Boeing fleet is made up of 30 Boeing 777-300ERs, two Boeing 777-200LRs, 12 Boeing 777-300s, nine Boeing 777-200s and eight Boeing 747Fs.

The 777 family of airplanes is the market leader in the 300- to 400-seat segment. The 777 is preferred by airlines around the world because of its fuel efficiency, reliability, and spacious passenger cabin. The 777-300ER is the world's largest long-range twin-engine jetliner capable of carrying 365 passengers up to 7,930 nautical miles (14,685 kilometers). The 777-300ER and the 777-200LR are two new longer-range 777 models that Boeing introduced to offer airlines additional flexibility in serving the nonstop routes that passengers demand. To date, Boeing has received more than 1,000 orders for the 777 from 53 customers worldwide.