787-9 Dreamliners
The new medium-sized wide-body 787-9 Dreamliners will complement the 777X family. Credit: Boeing.

Boeing and UAE-based airline Emirates have reached an agreement to buy 30 787-9 Dreamliner aeroplanes worth $8.8bn at the ongoing Dubai Airshow.

This purchase agreement follows Emirates’ commitment to purchase 40 787-10 Dreamliners at the 2017 Dubai Airshow.

The latest order is also in addition to the acquisition of up to 50 A350-900 XWB aircraft from Airbus for AED58.7bn ($16bn).

Under this agreement, Emirates has reduced its Boeing 777 aircraft order to 126 planes while still remaining the largest customer.

Emirates has used its substitution rights to swap 30 777 planes for 30 787-9s.

The airline was supposed to take deliveries of Boeing 777 starting next year. However, the aircraft maker has updated the schedule to 2021.

Boeing Global Services will also supply replacement parts and reduce maintenance times to keep 777 planes operational.

Emirates chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “This is an important investment and addition to our future fleet and it reflects Emirates’ continued efforts to provide the best quality air transport services to our customers.

“The 787s will complement our fleet mix by expanding our operational flexibility in terms of capacity, range and deployment. We are also pleased to reaffirm our commitment to the Boeing 777X programme and look forward to its entry into service.”

Available in a two-class configuration, the medium-sized wide-body 787-9 Dreamliner has a seating capacity for up to 296 passengers and a range of 13,950km.

The aircraft reduces fuel costs by more than 20% compared with previous generation models.