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DUBAI — Emirates’ surprise order for 65 more Boeing 777-9 aircraft on the first day of the Dubai Airshow came with an explicit request for the plane maker: build an even bigger 777X.
As part of the deal, CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said Boeing agreed to launch a feasibility study for a 777-10. “Emirates’ latest agreement with Boeing also provides strong backing for Boeing’s feasibility study to develop the 777-10, a larger variant of its 777X family,” the airline said in its announcement. Emirates also gave itself the option to convert its 777-9s to the 777-8 or the 777-10 if it is launched.
Yet the party line for Boeing, already seven years late with the 777-9, is that it is focusing squarely on completing certification of that aircraft before entertaining options for new widebody variants of any ilk. “We are always listening to our customers,” a Boeing spokesman told The Air Current in a statement. “Our main focus right now is completing certification of the 777-9.”
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