Emirates makes huge $15bn order for Boeing 'Dreamliners' as US firm leaves Airbus in its wake

After Boeing sold 40 planes to Emirates, Airbus is expecting a similar big order for its A380 double-deck jet

Spending spree: Emirates has ordered 40 Boeing 787-10s, a stretched version of the existing 'Dreamliner' (Boeing)

Almost as soon as the Dubai Air Show opened, Boeing extended its 2017 lead in aircraft orders over arch-rival Airbus.

Emirates ordered 40 Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” jets, with a list price of over $15bn (£11.4bn), with deliveries starting in 2022.

The deal was announced by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates, which is based in Dubai. He said: “We see the 787 as a great complement to our 777 and A380 fleet, providing us with more flexibility to serve a range of destinations as we develop our global route network.”

The type ordered is a 787-10, which is 18 feet longer than the existing 787-9, and seats up to 330 people in Emirates’ planned two-class configuration.

Boeing’s president and chief executive for commercial aircraft, Kevin McAllister, said: “This is an airplane that will set a new benchmark for operating economics in the commercial aviation industry”

The capacity is comparable with the old Boeing 777-200 and the new Airbus A350-900 — which lost out in the race for the Emirates order.

Boeing also sold five 787s to Azerbaijan Airlines. The US planemaker is outselling its European rival, Airbus, by about two to one so far this year.

Rumours abound in Dubai that Emirates is about to order more Airbus A380 “Superjumbo” jets. The airline already flies almost half the A380s in service worldwide.

The Airbus sales chief, John Leahy, is expected to announce an order from Emirates for an upgraded version of the double-deck jet, the A380plus. The plane would be capable of carrying 80 more passengers, partly by adding an extra seat to each row in economy and premium economy.

The planemaker says: “Thanks to an innovative seating concept developed by Airbus and its seating partners, Airbus is able to maintain an 18-inch seat width while offering airlines an 11-abreast economy class on the main deck in a ‘3-5-3’ configuration.” No current plane has more than 10 seats in each row.

Emirates is also the world’s biggest operator of the Boeing 777.