Orders at the Dubai Airshow 2025 totalled $202 billion, setting a new record and doubling the $101 billion secured at the 2023 edition. UAE national carriers alone committed to over 502 aircraft across firm orders and purchase options. The 19th edition ran from 17 to 21 November 2025 under the theme “The Future is Here.”
For official aviation safety context, see the UK Civil Aviation Authority. For the previous guide in this series, see Midlands Airshow 2026: Dates, Aircraft, Tickets, and 7 Key Things to Know.
What Were the Total Deals at Dubai Airshow 2025?
The Dubai Airshow 2025 closed with $202 billion in agreements — the largest total in the event’s history. The 5-day biennial event attracted 248,788 visitors, 1,500+ exhibitors, and 490 military and civil delegations from 115 countries.
Key event statistics include:
- Total deal value: $202 billion (AED 741.8 billion)
- Total visitors: 248,788
- Exhibitors: 1,500+ including 440 first-time participants
- Delegations: 490 from 115 countries
- National pavilions: 21
- Startups: 120; Investors: 50
- Cumulative airshow orders since inception: over $1 trillion
The 2025 edition featured the largest-ever Space Pavilion, organised with the UAE Space Agency, and a 2-day Space Conference attended by more than 50 astronauts and aerospace experts.
What Did Emirates Order at Dubai Airshow 2025?
Emirates placed the largest single commercial order of the entire show: 65 Boeing 777-9 aircraft valued at $38 billion at list prices. The airline also confirmed 8 additional Airbus A350-900 jets worth $3.4 billion, bringing its combined order value for the week to $41.4 billion.
The 2 Emirates orders together take the airline’s total widebody orderbook to 375 aircraft, with deliveries scheduled through 2038. Emirates is Boeing’s largest customer for wide-body jets. The 65 Boeing 777-9 order was placed on Day 1 of the show.
Emirates also signed a separate memorandum of understanding with Rolls-Royce at the airshow. The agreement covers full maintenance, repair, and overhaul of Trent 900 engines — which power the airline’s Airbus A380 fleet — beginning in 2027. The MoU extends TotalCare support for the Trent 900 into the 2040s.
What Did flydubai Order at Dubai Airshow 2025?
flydubai signed agreements for up to 400 new aircraft across 2 manufacturers, marking the most significant fleet diversification in the airline’s 15-year history. The carrier made its first-ever Airbus order alongside a continued Boeing commitment.
flydubai’s 2 orders at the 2025 show were:
- Airbus A321neo: 150 firm orders + 100 purchase options = up to 250 aircraft; valued at $24 billion; deliveries from 2031
- Boeing 737 MAX: 75 firm orders + 75 purchase options; valued at $13 billion
The Airbus order is significant for 3 reasons:
- flydubai had operated an all-Boeing fleet since its founding in 2009
- The A321neo diversifies the carrier into a 2-manufacturer narrow-body fleet
- The deal supports flydubai’s expansion at Dubai World Central (DWC), which the airline aims to help develop into the world’s largest airport
The A321neo agreement was the most strategically significant fleet shift announced at the 2025 show.
What Did Etihad Airways Order at Dubai Airshow 2025?
Etihad Airways expanded its Airbus fleet with 32 aircraft across 3 types, becoming the latest A330neo customer and strengthening its A350 and freighter capabilities. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier’s orders and lease commitments at the show totalled deliveries beginning in 2027.
Etihad’s 2025 airshow commitments include:
- 6 Airbus A330-900s — direct order; Etihad becomes a new A330neo customer
- 7 Airbus A350-1000s — additional orders; total now 27 aircraft
- 3 Airbus A350F freighters — additional orders; total now 10 aircraft
- 9 Airbus A330-900s — lease agreement via Avolon; deliveries 2027–2028
- 4 Airbus A320neo family — lease agreement via Avolon
The combined direct and leased commitments give Etihad one of the most diverse Airbus wide-body fleets in the Middle East. With the A330neo addition, Etihad now operates the A380, A330neo, A350-1000, and A350F across its Airbus fleet.
What Did Other Airlines Order at Dubai Airshow 2025?
4 additional airlines placed significant orders at the Dubai Airshow 2025: Gulf Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Europa, and Buraq Air.
Key orders from other carriers include:
- Gulf Air: 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners (firm) + 3 options; total commitment of 17 aircraft including a July order; supports long-haul fleet expansion
- Ethiopian Airlines: 6 Airbus A350-900 aircraft (firm); makes Ethiopian the largest A350 customer in Africa
- Air Europa: Up to 40 Airbus A350-900s; a major return to Airbus following a period of Boeing exclusivity
- Buraq Air (Libya): Memorandum of understanding for 10 Airbus A320neo aircraft; marks Buraq’s entry as a new Airbus customer
|
Airline |
Aircraft Type |
Orders |
Value |
|
Emirates |
Boeing 777-9 + A350-900 |
73 aircraft |
$41.4bn |
|
flydubai |
A321neo + 737 MAX |
Up to 400 |
$37bn |
|
Etihad Airways |
A330-900 + A350-1000 + A350F |
32 direct |
Undisclosed |
|
Gulf Air |
Boeing 787 Dreamliner |
15 + 3 options |
Undisclosed |
|
Ethiopian Airlines |
Airbus A350-900 |
6 |
Undisclosed |
|
Air Europa |
Airbus A350-900 |
Up to 40 |
Undisclosed |
Which Manufacturer Won the Most Orders at Dubai Airshow 2025?
Airbus led Dubai Airshow 2025 in total aircraft numbers with over 200 orders and commitments. Boeing led in total order value, driven by the Emirates 777-9 deal. The 2 manufacturers recorded nearly 600 combined orders and commitments across all customer types.
How Did Airbus Perform at Dubai Airshow 2025?
Airbus secured over 200 aircraft in orders and commitments, led by the landmark flydubai A321neo MoU of 150 firm orders and 100 options. The A321neo and A350 families drove the majority of Airbus business at the show.
Airbus gained 3 new customers at the 2025 edition:
- flydubai — first-ever Airbus order; 150 A321neo firm + 100 options
- Buraq Air — MoU for 10 A320neo aircraft
- Etihad — first A330neo order, adding a new type to its Airbus fleet
How Did Boeing Perform at Dubai Airshow 2025?
Boeing secured approximately 184 orders and commitments, with the 777-9 and 737 MAX families leading by volume and value. The Emirates order of 65 Boeing 777-9 aircraft, valued at $38 billion, was the single largest commercial deal of the entire show.
Boeing’s 4 main customer wins at the 2025 show were:
- Emirates — 65 Boeing 777-9 aircraft ($38 billion)
- flydubai — 75 Boeing 737 MAX + 75 options ($13 billion)
- Gulf Air — 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners + 3 options
- Ethiopian Airlines — 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft
Embraer secured 7 firm commercial orders and options for up to 13 additional aircraft across regional jet customers.
What Defence Deals Were Signed at Dubai Airshow 2025?
UAE defence industry contracts at the 2025 show exceeded $1 billion, with the Ministry of Defence announcing Dh6.4 billion in new agreements on Day 4 of the event. A single contract worth Dh600 million covered aircraft parts and support services, reinforcing the UAE’s goal of building a self-reliant aerospace supply chain.
EDGE Group, the UAE’s advanced technology conglomerate, unveiled 42 new defence products and solutions at the show. These included the OMEN VTOL, an autonomous air system co-developed with US firm Anduril. EDGE also signed defence partnerships with 4 international entities:
- Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) — South Korea
- L3Harris Technologies — United States
- Republikorp Indonesia — $7 billion partnership
- Indra — Spain
What Sustainability Measures Featured at Dubai Airshow 2025?
The Dubai Airshow 2025 operated all exhibition halls on 100% renewable energy and supplied sustainable aviation fuel to all participating aircraft. Ground support equipment across the venue was powered by electricity and propane in partnership with Jetex.
3 sustainability initiatives were introduced at the 2025 edition:
- Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply for all display and transit aircraft
- Electric and propane-powered ground support equipment via Jetex
- Exhibition halls running entirely on renewable energy
How Do Dubai Airshow 2025 Orders Compare to Previous Editions?
The $202 billion in deals at Dubai Airshow 2025 is double the $101 billion recorded at the 2023 edition, and represents the highest single-edition total in the show’s history. Cumulative orders across all 19 editions of the Dubai Airshow have now exceeded $1 trillion.
|
Edition |
Year |
Total Deal Value |
|
17th |
2021 |
$78 billion |
|
18th |
2023 |
$101 billion |
|
19th |
2025 |
$202 billion (record) |
The next Dubai Airshow is scheduled for November 2027.
Sources: Aviation Business ME (aviationbusinessme.com), Gulf News (gulfnews.com), Dubai Airshow official (dubaiairshow.aero), Air Cargo Week (aircargoweek.com), CNBC, Aerotime.
Alex Bradley is a UK-based aviation writer and airshow circuit regular who has spent years attending displays from RIAT at Fairford and the Biggin Hill Festival of Flight to small fly-ins that drew two hundred people and a hot dog van, and values both for entirely different reasons.
He is not a pilot. He is not a PR man for the aviation industry. He is the person in the crowd who has been coming long enough to notice when something has quietly changed, when an organiser is papering over a problem, and when a display is genuinely worth the drive.
His writing on Redhill Airshow covers the British airshow circuit, safety, display team politics, CAA regulations, and the quiet contraction of grass airfield culture that nobody in the industry wants to discuss plainly.
He has stood at Redhill Aerodrome in every kind of English summer weather, watched Tiger Moths bank low over Surrey farmland, and carries strong opinions about what this country is slowly losing one cancelled event at a time.