Previously, Emirates was in a difficult decision to incorporate a new type of aircraft in its fleet, the company's directors had two options in hand, both very modern and in accordance with the company's proposal, to find a smaller plane than the 777 -300ER.
The decision was between the Airbus A350-900 and the Boeing 787-10.
And this Sunday morning, on the first day of the Dubai Airshow 2017, Emirates announced together with Boeing the order of 40 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft, putting an end to the airline's indecision about its future aircraft.
Without discounts, the contract is valued at US$ 15,1 billion. According to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President and CEO of Emirates Airline, the first 787-10 will only be received by the company in 2022.
In 2014, Emirates canceled an order for 70 aircraft of the Airbus A350XWB line (900/1000), after the order placed in 2013. At the time, it claimed that it needed more time to make the final decision and evaluate the performance of the aircraft.
At Emirates, the 787-10 will interface critically below the Boeing 777X and Airbus A380 in capacity, it will also be able to replace Emirates' mid-capacity fleet, operated by A330 and A340 model aircraft, which has been retired in recent years. Currently, Emirates only operates aircraft from the 777 and A380 family.
In an interview with the press present in Dubai, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said that Emirates is ready to order more aircraft of this type if there is demand, and that these 40 will be configured with two or three class cabins, capable of accommodating from 240 to 300 engers.
Emirates also stands out for being the launch customer of the 777X and the largest customer of this aircraft, with 150 orders and deliveries starting in 2020.
Boeing took the opportunity to highlight the more than 600 units of the 787 manufactured since 2011, when the first delivery was made to All Nippon Airways (ANA); the certification of the 787-10, on which the company will deliver the first unit to a customer in 2018; in addition to more than 65 customers who have ordered more than 1275 Dreamliners to date, including 210 orders for the 787-10.
The Boeing 787-10
The great highlight of the 787-10 is being able to transport 40 more engers compared to the 787-9, for which Boeing lengthened the fuselage by 5,5 meters. This change combined with the already known efficiency of the Dreamliner family, can provide up to 25% lower fuel consumption compared to competitors.
The design commonality of the 787-10 allows other airlines that already use the 787 to take advantage of pilots, flight attendants and mechanics for the three variants of the Dreamliner family. Boeing claims that the 787-10 has 95% parity with other planes in the same family, the company can work with the same crew to transport 240 to 330 engers.
The 787-10 has changes to the air conditioning, which now has 15% more cooling capacity. The engines also received an increase of 5000 lbs of force, with maintenance of the two options, they are: The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 and the GE GEnx-1B.
