ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – MAY 15: U.S. President Donald J. Trump tours the Sheikh Zayed … More
Etihad Airways has confirmed an order for 28 new Boeing long-haul aircraft during President Trump’s visit to the United Arab Emirates. Today’s order brings the total tally of Boeing sales announcements during the president’s Middle East trip up to 268 aircraft.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier’s order follows Qatar Airways placing its largest-ever order for up to 210 long-haul aircraft on Tuesday and an order for up to 30 Boeing 737 MAX planes placed by Saudi lessor AviLease on Monday.
Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg has been traveling with the president as part of a delegation of business executives.
The new agreement with Etihad Airways includes a mix of Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X airplanes to be delivered starting 2028. The airline did not specify the breakdown of the order by type in its announcement. Etihad Airways has previously placed an order for 25 of Boeing’s newest 777X planes, including eight 777-8s and 17 Boeing 777-9s. The latest order supports the airline’s plan to double its fleet by 2030.
Etihad Airways also announced it had selected GE Aerospace engines for the new aircraft. GE also gained its largest-ever order for engines through the Qatar Airways deal this week.
Doubling The Etihad Airways Fleet
Etihad Airways currently operates a fleet of 100 aircraft with an average age of 9 years, and had orders pending deliver for 17 more aircraft before the announcement. Its fleet is a mix of widebody and narrowbody Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
- 15 Airbus A320s
- 15 Airbus A321s with 10 more on order
- 6 Airbus A350XWBs with 3 more on order
- 7 Airbus A380s
- 14 Boeing 777s
- 43 Boeing 787 Dreamliners with 4 pending delivery
“This commitment reflects our approach of carefully managing our fleet and expanding in line with demand and our long-term network plans,” said Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways. “Since 2023, we’ve made consistent additions to our fleet, and this latest step ensures we continue to meet our future requirements.”
More 777X Orders Added To Boeing’s Backlog
With the Qatar Airways contract announced earlier this week including additional orders for 30 of Boeing’s new 777-9 planes, the backlog of its newest widebody plane continues to grow. As of March, Boeing had a backlog of 481 777Xs, though the 777-9 passenger variant has proved most popular with airlines garnering 383 orders.
The largest customers are Emirates, which has ordered 205 aircraft and Qatar Airways, which already had orders in place for 94 777Xs before Tuesday’s announcement.
A number of delays have so far plagued the program which promises to deliver more sustainable and comfortable air travel. Boeing is advancing with the testing to certify the 777-9 type.
“We’re going through the flight test program, and we’re planning to get the certification done towards the end of this year or early next year so we can start the delivery,” Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s CEO, said during Barclays Bank investor call in February. “The challenge is we’ve got to get through the certification here on the Dash 9 to start delivering these things to our customers.”
The first airline expected to receive a 777-9 in 2026, once the type is certified, will be Lufthansa, which has placed an order for 20 777-9s and seven 777-8 freighters.