Emirates signs for 10 Boeing freighters

AGREEMENT: Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing international airlines, has signed a Heads of Agreement for 10 of Boeing’s new 747-8F aircraft, to be powered by General Electric’s GEnx jet engines, in a deal worth US$ 3.3 billion.

The Heads of Agreement was signed at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and Alan Mulally, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer.

The engine component of this deal is valued at more than US$600 million, and Sheikh Ahmed and GE Aviation’s President and CEO Scott Donnelly, also signed a Letter of Intent for 45 GEnx jet engines to power the new aircraft ordered.

The 10 747-8F aircraft, scheduled for delivery from 2010, will support Emirates’ long-term growth plans by providing additional capacity and operational flexibility for its air cargo services.

Emirates currently operates nine wide-bodied Boeing 747Fs and Airbus A310Fs, and also has eight 777Fs on its order books.