Dubai Airshow 2025 highlights: Airbus leads as Boeing lands major widebody deal

The 2025 Dubai Airshow closed with a wave of headline-grabbing aircraft commitments, mainly driven by Gulf and African carriers. Airbus finished the week slightly ahead in total commitments, though Boeing secured the show’s largest single deal with Emirates’ new widebody purchase. Regional manufacturers also posted meaningful gains across Africa and South Asia.

While the commercial side delivered one of the most active order cycles in recent years, the defense segment was comparatively light, with only a handful of military announcements and no major fighter or airlift procurements disclosed.

Major commercial orders and commitments at a glance

ManufacturerCustomerAircraftQuantity / StatusBoeingEmirates777-965 firmEthiopian Airlines737-811 firm (options exercised)Air Senegal737 MAX 89 agreementGulf Air78715 firm + 3 optionsflydubai737 MAX75 MoU + 75 optionsFlySafair (via AerCap)737 MAX 8 / 737-8003 + 2 (lease)AirbusflydubaiA321neo familyUp to 150Etihad AirwaysA330-900, A350-1000, A350F16 firm (6+7+3)Air EuropaA350-900Up to 40 (MoU)Ethiopian AirlinesA350-9006 firmEmiratesA350-9008 firmSilk Way WestA350F2 firmUzbekistan AirwaysA321neo6 (lessor placement)Buraq AirA320neo family10 MoUAirbus HelicoptersMoroccoH225M10 firmBristow GroupH160Up to 5 (lease)EmbraerAir Côte d’IvoireE1754 firm + 8 purchase rightsDe Havilland CanadaIndiaOne AirDHC-6 Twin Otter 300-GUp to 10 (LoI)Boeing: Emirates anchors a widebody-heavy week

Boeing’s strongest moment came early, when Emirates placed a follow-on order for 65 Boeing 777-9 aircraft. The commitment lifted Emirates’ total 777X backlog to 270 jets. The airline also confirmed its support for Boeing on a study for the proposed 777-10 stretch variant.

Single-aisle momentum also returned to Boeing. Ethiopian Airlines firmed options for 11 additional 737-8s, while Air Senegal signed an agreement for nine 737 MAX 8s, the largest commercial aviation contract in the country’s history. Gulf Air finalized an order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with options for three more.

Narrowbody demand across the region further supported the Boeing 737 MAX. flydubai signed a memorandum of understanding for 75 additional 737 MAX aircraft, with options for a further 75. Leasing activity also favored Boeing narrowbodies, with AerCap placing three 737 MAX 8s and two 737-800NGs with South Africa’s FlySafair.

Across all announcements tracked during the show, Boeing secured well over 150 direct commitments, driven by Emirates’ widebodies and renewed regional demand for the MAX.

Airbus: a broad portfolio and a decisive lead in total commitments

Airbus built its tally more gradually, but by midweek had assembled the broadest order portfolio of the show, spanning narrowbodies, widebodies, freighters and helicopters.

One of the week’s defining moments came with flydubai’s first-ever Airbus order. The carrier committed to up to 150 A321neo-family aircraft, marking a major strategic shift from its historically all-Boeing fleet and setting up a dual-manufacturer future for the Dubai-based airline.

Etihad Airways also expanded its long-term Airbus strategy. The carrier announced a package covering six A330-900s, seven A350-1000s and three A350Fs, supplemented by a leasing agreement with Avolon for nine additional A330neos and four A320neo-family aircraft.

Air Europa added to Airbus’ widebody momentum with a memorandum of understanding for up to 40 A350-900s. Ethiopian Airlines ordered six more A350-900s, while Emirates confirmed that it was the previously unidentified customer behind a new order for eight additional A350-900s. In the cargo segment, Silk Way West Airlines firmed two more A350F freighters.

On the narrowbody side, Uzbekistan Airways secured six A321neos through Chinese lessors, while Libya’s Buraq Air signed a memorandum of understanding for 10 A320neo-family aircraft.

When combining direct orders, MoUs and lessor placements, Airbus accumulated more than 230 aircraft commitments during the event.

Rotorcraft also featured in Airbus’ Dubai presence. Morocco signed a contract for 10 H225M helicopters to replace its long-serving Puma fleet. Bristow Group, meanwhile, agreed to take up to five H160s on lease from Milestone Aviation for offshore work in Africa.

Regional manufacturers: Embraer and De Havilland secure strategic wins

Embraer secured a strategically meaningful win with Air Côte d’Ivoire, which ordered four E175 aircraft with purchase rights for eight more. The move modernizes the airline’s regional fleet and strengthens Embraer’s position in a market traditionally served by turboprops and legacy narrowbodies.

De Havilland Canada recorded activity with a letter of intent from IndiaOne Air for up to 10 Twin Otter Series 300-G aircraft. The next-generation Twin Otter will support regional connectivity to remote destinations across India.The post Dubai Airshow 2025 highlights: Airbus leads as Boeing lands major widebody deal appeared first on AeroTime.

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