Flydubai expands fleet with order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

DUBAI, U.A.E., 11 Jan. 2014. Flydubai officials have confirmed an order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 11 Next-Generation 737-800 commercial aircraft, valued at $8.8 billion at list prices and including purchase rights for 25 more 737 MAX airliners.

Airline officials committed to the purchase at the 2013 Dubai Airshow, which was Boeing's largest single-aisle airplane order in the Middle East.

“The confirmed order for 75 [Boeing] 737 MAXs and 11 Next-Generation 737-800s signifies the maturing of the airline and the strength of our business model as well as support flydubai's ambitious growth,” says flydubai Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith. "2013 has been a tremendous year for flydubai. We have launched 16 new routes, delivered profitability in just three years of operation, and launched our Business Class service.”

The 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft uses CFM International LEAP-1B engines to deliver high efficiency, reliability, and passenger comfort, enabling airlines operating the 737 MAX to see a 14 percent fuel-use improvement over today's most fuel-efficient single-aisle airplanes, officials say.

"The order is a tremendous endorsement of the ongoing popularity and reliability of the Next-Generation 737-800 and the unsurpassed fuel efficiency that the 737 MAX will offer in the single aisle market," says Marty Bentrott, vice president, Sales, Middle East, Russia and Central Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The 737 MAX has accumulated more than 1,700 orders to date. Development of the 737 MAX is on schedule with firm configuration of the airplane achieved in July 2013. First flight is scheduled in 2016 with deliveries to customers beginning in 2017.