Emirates will be making some major changes to its fleet in the coming years, and this has some interesting implications for the carrier. Emirates recently announced some updates to its fleet, including modifying its Boeing 787 order.
While we know that Airbus A350s and Boeing 777Xs are expected to be delivered in 2024 and 2025 (respectively), the future of the Boeing 787s seems a little less certain.
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Emirates has 35 Boeing 787s on order
Emirates has been all over the place when it comes to ordering Boeing 787 Dreamliners:
- In 2017, Emirates placed an order for 40 Boeing 787-10s
- In 2019, Emirates modified its order, and instead ordered 30 Boeing 787-9s
- In 2023, Emirates modified its order yet again, instead ordering 35 Boeing 787s, including 20 787-8s and 15 787-10s; separately, FlyDubai ordered 30 Boeing 787-9s at the same time, which sure is interesting
As you can tell, Emirates doesn’t seem to really know what it wants with the 787. With the latest fleet updates, Emirates has over 300 aircraft on order, spread across three types of aircraft:
- Emirates has 65 Airbus A350s on order, all of which are for the A350-900 variant; these are expected to be delivered starting in 2024
- Emirates has 35 Boeing 787s on order, with 20 being for the 787-8 variant and 15 being for the 787-10 variant; there’s no timeline for when these planes will be delivered, though
- Emirates has 205 Boeing 777Xs on order, with 35 being for the 777-8 variant and 170 being for the 777-9 variant; the 777-9s should be delivered starting in 2025, and the 777-8s should be delivered starting in 2030
For the past several years, Emirates has had one of the most consistent fleets in the world, as the airline has just flown the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777. However, with Airbus A380 production having ended in 2021, and with the Boeing 777X being delayed until at least 2025 (representing a five year delay), the airline knew it had to hedge its bets when it comes to fleet renewal.
While Emirates has had a pretty steady strategy with both the 777X and A350-900 orders, the carrier can’t seem to decide on what exactly it wants to do with the 787, given how often this order has been changed.
There’s no delivery timeline for Emirates Boeing 787s
Emirates was initially supposed to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 in 2023. As seems to be the norm with aircraft manufacturers nowadays (and especially Boeing), that timeline didn’t stick. Up until recently, we were officially told that the first plane would be delivered in 2024, though Emirates President Tim Clark indicated that he didn’t expect the first jet until 2025.
However, with Emirates now swapping the order for different variants, there’s no timeline for Emirates taking delivery of these planes.
My read on the situation is that Emirates isn’t actually committed to 787s. Expect A350s to be delivered in 2024 and 777Xs to be delivered in 2025, but I don’t think Emirates plans to take delivery of 787s anytime soon. Rather, I wouldn’t be surprised to see those orders swapped again, perhaps for more 777Xs (and I’m sure that’s a deal that Boeing would be happy to do, given that demand is much higher for 787s than 777Xs).
It’s interesting how the airline has even publicly been pretty skeptical about plans for the jet. In 2022, Clark said that Emirates was having a “good, hard look to see whether the 787 fits into the program or not” for the Dubai-based carrier. He also stated that he thought “there might be relief on both sides if the 787 didn’t happen at this point in time.”
It’s hard to know how this is going to play out, because it’s anyone’s guess when the 777X actually enters service. Personally, I don’t think Emirates will ever fly the Boeing 787, and it will be kind of like United’s Airbus A350 order.
Emirates 787 interiors & passenger experience
Emirates hasn’t yet revealed the layout for its Boeing 787s. For that matter, with the recent switch from the 787-9 to both the 787-8 and 787-10, there’s probably more uncertainty than before. While Emirates recently announced plans to introduce new cabins in partnership with Safran (including a new business class), isn’t mentioned as part of this agreement.
Like I said, I get the sense that Emirates isn’t committed to this order, and I’m not sure Emirates has actually made any final decisions regarding the cabins on these jets.
At least initially, I know the plan was for most 787s to be in a four cabin configuration, featuring first class, business class, premium economy, and economy. It’s also possible some 787s won’t feature premium economy, though Emirates’ strategy about this new cabin seems to be evolving, as it aggressively retrofits existing aircraft.
Fortunately at least in the past, the 787s were expected to feature first class, unlike the A350s, which will be Emirates’ primary new aircraft without first class. Emirates has by far the largest international first class footprint of any airline in the world, and currently has first class on a vast majority of its aircraft.
Emirates 787 routes & destinations
With Emirates having now selected the 787-8 and 787-10, it’s safe to say that those planes would be used for different missions, should they eventually join Emirates fleet.
The 787-8 is the smallest variant of the Dreamliner and is very long range, so it could be used for ultra long haul flights in markets with lower demand, like routes currently served by the 777-200LR. Meanwhile the 787-10 is the largest variant of the Dreamliner and has the least range of the three variants, so I’d expect that to primarily be used for high capacity routes not too far from Dubai, like to Central and Southeast Asia.
Bottom line
Emirates has an order for 35 Boeing 787s, including 20 787-8s and 15 787-10s. With Emirates having recently completely swapped this order, there are a lot more questions than answers.
There’s no timeline for Emirates taking delivery of Dreamliners, and I get the sense that this is now more of a placeholder order than anything, in the event that the 777X is delayed further. My guess is that if the 777X is delivered in 2025, Emirates may just swap the Dreamliner order for more 777Xs. It’s possible I’m wrong, though.
What are you expecting from Emirates’ Boeing 787 order?
I think emirates is very picky with it's planes
Seems like they are changing the future delivery dates by changing B787 variants and buying time for taking proper decision, once the delivery dates near for B787-8's and B787-10's they may reduce the number of aircrafts to another type of Boeing aircrafts, so Boeing is happy and Emirates is happy. A win-win for both.
Should also be noted that Emirates placed, then cancelled, an order for A330NEOs as well.
So it's not just the 787 per se..... Emirates apparently isn't sure if it wants aircraft in the 200-250 seat market overall.
Seems that with FlyDubai getting 787s, EK has even less reason to want to be in it.
To add to my previous comment, I think we can all agree that they’ll go for 3-3-3 in Economy if they do end up taking delivery of the Dreamliner. Hopefully they’ll do what they did for the 777 and put 34” of pitch between the seats to make up for that (lack of) width.
I don't understand the logic behind putting first class on the B787 but not the A350. Isn't the A350 wider? It would make more sense for that plane to get first class given the wider cabin. Etihad did the same thing, though to be fair, they got the A350 much later than the B787
EK hasn't outright said it, but the strategy most publicly presumed is that the 787s will remain regional as both a route opener (B788) and cattle hauler (B78X).
So it makes sense if they maintain F, as there's plenty of demand for it within EK's regional system.
Contrasting to the suggestion in this article, there's no indication that EK plans to fly them ULH; supported by neither aircraft being all that adept in doing either.
...EK hasn't outright said it, but the strategy most publicly presumed is that the 787s will remain regional as both a route opener (B788) and cattle hauler (B78X).
So it makes sense if they maintain F, as there's plenty of demand for it within EK's regional system.
Contrasting to the suggestion in this article, there's no indication that EK plans to fly them ULH; supported by neither aircraft being all that adept in doing either.
Distance of the longest prior scheduled flight with a B788 (DFW-PEK) would barely reach NYC from DXB, and that's before you take desert heat into account for takeoff planning. And the B78X doesn't have the practical range to cross the Atlantic nor venture into Oceania, from DXB.
A350s on the other hand, can do both. So it'll be EK's ULH route opener, for routes without much F demand.
Or so the prevailing assumption goes.
The longest prior *scheduled* flight with a 788 was Aeromexico PVG-MEX eastbound which at 8026smi is significantly longer than DXB-JFK (6849smi). Currently Ethiopian flies ORD-ADD (7577mi) with its 788s and Air India flies DEL-IAD (7506smi, incl. westbound), which, blocked at 15:55 and air time realistically in the 14:30-15:15 range, would translate to DXB-SEA/ORD/MCO as doable for EK -- especially if they use a less dense configuration.
I'm aware, but not counting that as the flight is an anomaly.
The westbound can't be flown due to altitude on takeoff, and the eastbound rides prevailing winds the entire way, decreasing the aircraft's necessary performance.
No point in comparing that to anything.
It’s going to be weird to see an airline so heavily reliant on the A380 & 777, and thus the hub-and-spoke model, get 787s. Actually, given that they used to fly the similarly sized A330 & A340 back in the day, it’s going to be more like them coming full-circle lol.
That being said, Sir Tim’s comments and the fact that they’ve delayed the delivery date to 2025 really reminds me of United’s A350...
It’s going to be weird to see an airline so heavily reliant on the A380 & 777, and thus the hub-and-spoke model, get 787s. Actually, given that they used to fly the similarly sized A330 & A340 back in the day, it’s going to be more like them coming full-circle lol.
That being said, Sir Tim’s comments and the fact that they’ve delayed the delivery date to 2025 really reminds me of United’s A350 order. Time will tell if EK will ends up receiving these planes I guess.
Ben,
Seattle Times is reporting that Boeing has said the FlyDubai orders are *not* a transfer of the former Emirates 787-9 order, and was separately placed.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/dubai-air-show-opens-with-a-huge-boost-for-boeing/
Seems a lot of these "what we know" posts...simply show how little is known.
Amen to that!
Yes, feels like a cheap tactic for clicks. Ad revenue must be down.
the -10 will be used on high demand routes near Dubai if they get first class. no first class means they will be sent to high traffic low yield destinations like Bangkok. the -8 could be used for thin routes into Africa and Central Asia
Actually I see the 788s being deployed on new services to thinner European destinations such as TLS, OPO, OTP, BEG, SOF, ZAG, SJJ etc…