Emirates Shows Off Eye-Popping First-Class Cabin

The Middle East is on track to becoming the world’s dominant travel hub and now the region’s largest airline has made another ground-breaking aircraft order, with an unexpected twist.

Emirates has signed on a US$15.1 billion commitment to purchase 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners at the Dubai Airshow 2017, taking place this week. Emirates is already the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator and the airline will be first to receive the new 777X in 2020.

According to reports, the deal appeared to surprise Boeing’s archrival Airbus, whose staff had attended a long-delayed news conference and left the room just moments before the announcement.

Airbus has pinned hopes of continuing production of its double-decker jumbo jet on Emirates, the world’s largest operator of the aircraft which took delivery of its 100th A380 earlier this month. Reports circulated before the air show that a major A380 sale would be coming.

Boeing’s twin-engine, U.S.-made 787-10 has been a focus of U.S. President Trump since he came into office, part of his ‘buy American, hire American’ push.

Emirates’ business has suffered under Trump’s travel bans affecting predominantly Muslim nations, as well as the recent ban on laptops in airplane cabins. Emirates said it slashed 20 percent of its flights to the U.S. in the wake of the restrictions, though Dubai International Airport remains the world’s busiest international travel hub.

Also at the Dubai Airshow, Emirates also unveiled what it’s branding a ‘game-changer’ in the first class travel market. The Dubai-based carrier’s upgraded 777 fleet will see the introduction of the world’s first fully enclosed private suites, described by Emirates President Sir Tim Clark as akin to “a six-star hotel room” in the sky.

The new six-suite first class cabin features leather seating, hi-tech control panels, mood lighting and floor-to-ceiling doors, as well as face-to-face screen-based cabin crew contact, food delivery hatches to protect client privacy and virtual ‘windows’ in the central suites of the 1-1-1 configuration.

The first aircraft in the fleet, flown into Dubai Airshow from Seattle for the unveiling, will shortly begin flying on the airline’s Brussels and Geneva routes, with plans to expand throughout the network as an additional seven or eight refurbished 777-300ERs are completed, before the new look is adapted for the upcoming fleet of next generation 777x.

While the Emirates deal was a big one, it was a far cry from 2013 Dubai Airshow, when airlines made $140 billion in new orders before the collapse of global oil prices. Prices have rebounded recently to around $60 a barrel.

Other airlines than Emirates are taking part, but missing from the trade show this year is one of the region’s largest long-haul carriers, Qatar Airways, amid a diplomatic fallout between Qatar and four Arab nations.

Source: The Associated Press