Emirates Studies More Orders, Says Tariffs Aren’t Hurting Demand

(Bloomberg) — Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the airline is in negotiations to order more aircraft as it continues to expand its global reach.

“We are in negotiations,” Sheikh Ahmed said in a Bloomberg TV interview Tuesday. “Maybe we will be able to sign up for more aircraft.” 

Emirates has previously said that it would be in the market for additional Airbus SE 350 and Boeing Co. 777X aircraft. Both aircraft models come with their own set of challenges. Emirates has expressed issues with performance of the engines made by Rolls Royce Holdings Plc on the Airbus 350-1000 aircraft. And the Boeing model, of which Emirates has already ordered over 200 units, is years behind delivery schedule. 

Sheikh Ahmed said the airline expects to receive the 777X near the end of 2026, without providing a specific date, and expects to have about a dozen A350 jets by the end of the year. The company is spending close to $5 billion to retrofit existing aircraft like the discontinued Airbus A380 jumbo and Boeing’s older 777 to bridge delays.

Any deal would likely be announced at the Dubai air show later this year, along with sister airline Flydubai, which is looking to purchase as many as 300 jets, Bloomberg reported previously. 

Emirates sees positive numbers for the next two years with no impact from President Donald Trump’s tariff regime so far, Sheikh Ahmed said. 

“I don’t see any pattern of people not flying or booking earlier and canceling, that’s not happening,” he said. 

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