DUBAI - Emirates, the Middle East's biggest airline, topped up its order of Boeing 777X planes despite years of delays, delivering a vote of confidence to the US manufacturer at the Dubai Airshow.
The order of 65 777-9s, valued at $38 billion including engines, came despite last month's announcement that delivery was now due in 2027 -- seven years behind the original schedule.
Emirates, already the biggest customer for the Boeing 777, now has 270 777X, 10 777 freighters and 35 Boeing 787s on order.
The 777X deliveries will start in the second quarter of 2027, Emirates Group chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said.
"Some people may have doubts about Emirates' huge backlog of aircraft orders," he told a press conference.
"But I assure that each and every aircraft on order has been carefully factored into Emirates' growth plans."
The announcement on day one at the biennial airshow, the biggest in the Middle East, came as China showcased its COMAC C919 for the first time in the region.
China's first domestically produced passenger jet is a stab at challenging the decades-long dominance of Boeing and its European rival Airbus.
Brazil's Embraer unveiled orders from Air Cote d'Ivoire for four passenger planes and another three for Switzerland's Helvetic Airways.
Boeing also announced smaller deals with Ethiopian Airlines, which ordered 11 737 MAX jets, and nine 737-8s for Air Senegal on Monday.
The US plane-maker is trying to turn the page on a torrid period including deadly crashes, court cases and a strike in its defence arm, as well as the delivery delays.