Emirates has decided on its preferred mix of new Boeing wide-body planes, with the focus likely to be on smaller aircraft rather than jumbo jets following a slump in demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a report said.

 

The Dubai-based carrier has been pushing to swap more of Boeing’s behemoth 777X jets - of which it has ordered 115 - for 787 Dreamliners. Emirates has finalised its position on the composition of the intake, Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha said in an interview recently, said the Bloomberg report.

 

Negotiations are ongoing, including on the timing of the plane deliveries, Al Redha said. 

 

Emirates prefers to take the smaller Dreamliner sooner rather than later as it “offers better seat capacity” at a time when demand for international travel is flagging, he said. 

 

Boeing wants to hand over the larger 777X first, the COO said, in line with an agreement made before the coronavirus tore up the plans of airlines around the world. “I think Boeing would prefer to deliver the 777s before 787 because that is a new program for them,” Al Redha said. The Chicago-based planemaker declined to comment, said the report.