Emirates and flydubai have placed significant new engine orders with GE Aerospace at the Dubai Airshow 2025, securing a combined total of 190 engines to support the UAE’s next phase of widebody and long-haul fleet expansion.
The agreements strengthen decades-long partnerships and reinforce the country’s position as a global aviation hub.
The new commitments span the world’s most powerful commercial engine, the GE9X, and the high-thrust GEnx-1B, which will power flydubai’s first widebody aircraft.
Dubai Airshow 2025 orders
GE Aerospace and Emirates announced an agreement for 130 GE9X engines to power 65 additional Boeing 777-9 aircraft, bringing Emirates’ total GE9X engines on order to more than 540, including spare engines and a long-term service agreement.
The new commitment extends a 40-year relationship between the two companies. Emirates’ first flight in October 1985 was powered by GE Aerospace engines, and the airline today serves more than 140 destinations using the world’s largest fleet of Airbus A380s — the majority powered by the GP7200 engine — and Boeing 777s exclusively powered by the GE90 engine.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “Emirates is already the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator and we are expanding our commitment to the programme today with additional orders worth $38bn for 65 Boeing 777-9s, and 130 GE9X engines.
“This is a long-term commitment and testament to our partnership with Boeing and GE, and to US aerospace.”
GE Aerospace growth
Russell Stokes, President and CEO, Commercial Engines and Services at GE Aerospace, said: “We are proud to deepen our decades-long partnership with Emirates as we advance the future of flight together.
“Already the world’s largest customer for GE90 and GP7200 engines, this additional GE9X order reflects Emirate’s confidence in our technology and our team. We are ready to support Emirates in every way to leverage the efficiency and durability of our industry-leading solutions and services.”
The GE9X engine is the world’s most powerful commercial aircraft engine and offers 10 per cent better specific fuel consumption than its predecessor, the GE90-115B.
It has undergone the most extensive testing programme in GE Aerospace history, including more than 1,700 dust ingestion cycles, validating performance under severe Middle Eastern operating conditions.
Like all GE Aerospace commercial engines, it is certified to operate on approved Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blends.
flydubai orders 60 GEnx-1B engines
In a separate agreement, GE Aerospace and flydubai announced a new order for 60 GEnx-1B engines to power the carrier’s first widebody fleet of 30 Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The deal includes spare engines and a long-term services agreement.
The order underpins flydubai’s long-haul expansion strategy. Established in 2008, the Dubai-based carrier now serves more than 135 destinations across 57 countries and will introduce long-haul routes as it prepares to welcome the Boeing 787 to its fleet.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO at flydubai, said: “Over the years, flydubai has established itself as a key player in the aviation industry, driven by a vision to make travel more accessible and convenient through Dubai’s global aviation hub.
“The performance and durability of our engines play an integral role in the success of our operations and fleet expansion plans, especially as we prepare to welcome the Boeing 787 aircraft to our fleet in the coming years.
“We look forward to a long and successful partnership with GE Aerospace as we embark on the next chapter of growth.
Russell Stokes added: “We are honoured by flydubai’s trust and confidence in GE Aerospace technology as the airline enters its next phase of growth.
“The GEnx engines will deliver reliability, efficiency and durability to power the airline’s first widebody fleet. We are excited to help propel flydubai’s expansion plans.”
The GEnx family, introduced in 2011, has accumulated more than 62 million flight hours and is GE Aerospace’s fastest-selling high-thrust engine, powering two-thirds of all Boeing 787 aircraft in operation. It is also certified to run on current SAF blends.
GE Aerospace strengthens UAE footprint
GE Aerospace has been a committed UAE aviation partner for more than 40 years. The company supports national ambitions for advanced flight technologies through more than 240 employees; offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Airport Freezone; an On Wing Support Center in Dubai South; and engineering, testing and MRO partnerships across the country.
At the Dubai Airshow 2025, GE Aerospace also announced a $50 million investment in a new On Wing Support facility to further enhance regional maintenance capabilities.
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