Airbus nears compromise deal after Emirates jet order row

Airbus and Emirates are working towards a compromise deal for fewer than 20 A350-900 jets after a public dispute between the airline and engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce over a larger model affected the end of the Dubai Airshow.

Industry sources have revealed that the two parties are attempting to secure an agreement that involves switching from the A350-1000, Airbus’ largest twin-engined jet. The A350-1000 has faced scrutiny due to the amount of downtime required in harsh Gulf conditions.

Neither Airbus, Emirates, nor Rolls-Royce have commented on the ongoing negotiations. However, two sources have cautioned that a final agreement may not be reached before the end of the Nov. 13-17 airshow.

A similar standoff involving these three companies over the A380 superjumbo at the largest Middle East aerospace event in 2017 required several weeks of further discussions before a resolution was reached.

Despite a high-profile announcement earlier in the week regarding a major Emirates order from Boeing, executives from both Airbus and Emirates have left their negotiating teams to finalize details, and attendance has dwindled on the final trade day.

Emirates is the largest user of the Airbus A380 and has made significant investments in the world’s largest airliner. The airline is now planning its fleet for the future to maintain its Dubai super-hub as a central point in the aviation industry beyond the 2030s.

At the start of the airshow, Emirates placed a $52 billion order for 90 additional Boeing 777X aircraft. The airline expressed confidence that Boeing was addressing regulatory and other issues that had caused a five-year delay in the arrival of the aircraft.

However, Emirates Airline President Tim Clark refused to make a large order for Airbus’ similar A350-1000 and publicly criticized Rolls-Royce, the engine manufacturer, for the additional maintenance required to operate the aircraft in hot and sandy conditions.

Rolls-Royce acknowledged that the A350-1000 engine would require more servicing than Emirates desired but denied Clark’s claim that the engine was “defective.”

An order for A350-900s would be seen as a consolation for Airbus after Boeing secured the majority of the deals at the airshow. However, it would raise questions about Airbus’ ability to compete with Boeing’s 777X in the busy Gulf wide-body market, according to industry experts.

Investors are expected to question Rolls-Royce about the durability and pricing of its engines at an investor day on Nov. 28.

Analyst Chloe Lemarie from Jefferies noted that it is unclear whether the A350-900 order would serve as a placeholder for a future conversion into the larger A350-1000 variant.

BOEING LEADS IN ORDERS

In a week dominated by strong demand for wide-body planes, Boeing secured orders for 196 aircraft at the Dubai Airshow, while Airbus has currently agreed to deals for 40 jets.

Airbus has stated that it has reached an “agreement in principle” for a significant order from Turkish Airlines, but industry sources indicate that the deal has not yet been finalized.

In addition to the order for 90 777X jets, Emirates has agreed to purchase five additional 787 Dreamliners. Its sister airline, flyDubai, has also placed an order for 30 787 Dreamliners, marking its first wide-body order.

Turkish budget carrier SunExpress began the airshow with an order for 45 Boeing 737 MAX narrow-body aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines announced its purchase of 20 737 MAX jets, nearly five years after the fatal 2019 MAX crash that led to the global grounding of the fleet. The airline also ordered 11 Dreamliners.

EgyptAir stated that it would be ordering 10 A350-900s from Airbus, while AirBaltic announced an order for 30 Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

Royal Air Maroc placed a repeat order for two additional 787 Dreamliners. EgyptAir also revealed plans to lease 18 new Boeing 737 MAX jets from Air Lease Corp.