FlyDubai Orders Up To 150 Boeing 737 MAXs: How Big Can The Airline Get?

the bigger question is how much EK wants FlyDubai encroaching on its markets. The 321NEO is more than capable of flying large portions of EK's network; the MAXs will be for fleet replacement while the NEOs will heavily support network growth through longer flights.

I think this makes a lot of sense. First off the deliveries will take place over a decade+, they will retire a lot of aircraft (so it’s not all growth - they like new planes) and the region itself has a lot of potential. I’m guessing it’s also a hedge and worth paying for the slots and then cancelling if not needed. The backlog for aircraft has been so brutal that the calculus might have changed.

There's like 100 smaller cities in Europe, Africa and Asia that could have demand for a B737 but not a B777/A350/A380.
Turkish Airlines do it just fine.

I think the biggest reason Emirates and FlyDubai haven't merged is because the government thinks that Emirates brand reputation would take a hit because of it. The idea is that Emirates is the luxurious long-haul widebody-only airline, operating luxurious and spacious airliners around the world. The idea is that adopting 737s would dilute that image. I agree that it makes sense to operate 737s for EK in terms of serving more markets, but the EK leadership/government/rulers of UAE may be worried that would hurt the EK brand. It is similar to how both Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines didn't used to operate narrowbodies until recently, because they also made a similar reputation using the same strategy.

Qatar Airways likely would have done the same, except they were historically the underdog, and the only way they could serve certain markets was by operating narrowbodies. I agree that operating narrowbodies makes sense from a business perspective. However, I do believe that some of the regular flying public (specifically those who fly EK occasionally) may be disappointed if they book a ticket on EK only to be on a 737 MAX. It's not exactly a tangible reason, but it is something that exists.

However, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines both recently adopted narrowbodies, so maybe we may see EK eventually follow suit. Though I am skeptical this will happen in the near future, and I'm not going to hold my breath.

@ chris w -- I agree, and that also gets at why I think a merger is inevitable. It seems strange to have an airline that primarily flies to smaller cities rather than bigger cities, in terms of branding, a streamlined experience, etc. Given the scale of Emirates' network, service to all kinds of cities could be supported.

But the reality is that a vast majority of people have heard of Emirates, but haven't heard about FlyDubai. And I think many people would be encouraged to book an itinerary if it were on Emirates the whole way, but might be more hesitant if it's a mix of airlines, especially if other options include Etihad, Qatar, Turkish, etc.

Fair enough but they could call it 'Emirates connect' or 'Emirates Express' or something so people know its not the same as mainline. They could even install the exact same EK Y and Y+ seats in 737s so those two classes could have exactly the same onboard experience.
Obviously these planes won't have F so that just leaves J to manage expectations and wit h the 2-3-2 J product on most EK 777s, it wouldn't be hard for Fly Dubai to be comparable.

While I think it's fair to say that some infrequent flyers could be disappointed with a 737 MAX, I would say that encountering 2-3-2 angled flat seats in business is a bigger shock than that. EK is deemed to be a premium/luxurious airline primarily due to the halo effect of their first class product.

This is to say, that adding single-aisle planes that feature lie-flat seats with a higher (and 100 on the new Safran VUE platform) percentage of direct aisle access could be portrayed as an improvement over their current subpar business on 777s... which for those people that fly more frequently could be a reason to be more likely to seek them out.

If t try were being realistic, savvy, and intelligent, they wouldn't have ordered the Eurotrash and stayed strictly American. Who butters your bread in the Emirates? The US, that's who.

Based on yesterday's press release from flydubai, it has ordered a total of 375 B737 MAXs (with 75 options) since 2013 plus 150 A321s (with 100 options) and 30 B787s. It has taken delivery so far of 76 B737 MAXs, suggesting outstanding orders of 299 B737 MAXs, 150 A321s and 30 B787s = total of 479 orders plus 175 options. Its existing fleet is only 97 aircraft including 21 B737NGs, which will no doubt be phased out. The outstanding order is staggering at almost 5 times the existing fleet (6.7x including options). Perhaps there has been some double counting with previous orders of the B737 MAX, which often happens. The new orders over the last three days are unlikely to be delivered before 2030 and could extend all the way to 2040. Also, the Boeing order is a necessary endorsement for more MAX orders by other potential orders.

Yup, why buy A320 aircraft when there are 737s going cheap at good-ol'-plummet-into-the-ground Boeing?

The hypernationism is ridiculous.

I’m a US citizen and I agree with you. Boeing is a mess.

FlyDubai is "lower cost" than Emirates, but not "low cost". With Wizz being shoved out of the UAE market, there is a niche that Air Arabia and FlyDubai fill; the traffic to West and South Asia. I think you are going to see FlyDubai take a bite out of the Indian carriers' marketshare, and I would expect it to try to grab the leisure market in and out of the UAE. For example, if you are from Kyrgystan and want to fly how to from the UAE to Bishkek, only FlyDubai gets you there. West and Central Asia have huge economic growth potential; this is savvy. But 300 planes is way too much.