Emirates Seeks Up to Five Boeing 777X Jets in 2027 as Clark Delays Retirement Again

The Dubai carrier is negotiating to take between three and five of the widebodies next year, a figure that could rise to 10 the following year, Reuters reported. Clark said Emirates was among several airlines, including Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, waiting for the aircraft to enter service.

The delivery schedule matters more to Emirates than to any other airline. It is the largest customer for the 777X, with about 270 of the 777-9 and 777-8 variants on order, and the aircraft is central to its long-term plan to replace part of its fleet with larger, more efficient long-haul jets. When Emirates first ordered the plane, deliveries were expected to begin in 2020. Development and certification problems at Boeing have pushed that back repeatedly, and Emirates has had to keep flying and refurbishing its existing aircraft in the meantime.

The late-2027 timing is later than the airline indicated earlier this year. In July, Clark said he expected the first aircraft in the second quarter of 2027. He also said then that Emirates would not accept a batch of about 10 early-built aircraft produced before Boeing changed the design and production process, and would wait for newer jets instead.

Clark also said his own departure has been put off again. Speaking at the annual economic summit of the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung in Berlin, he said he had thought the time had come to step down before the war in the region broke out and kept him in the job. The Covid-19 pandemic had earlier delayed his retirement plans. Clark was part of the team that founded Emirates in 1985 and has been the airline's president since 2003.

His comments follow a difficult six months for the group. On November 5, Emirates Group reported pre-tax profit of AED 4.1 billion for April to September, down 66% from a year earlier, as regional conflict disrupted traffic and fuel costs rose. Group revenue fell 12% to AED 66.2 billion, and the airline carried 21.8 million passengers, 22% fewer than in the same period last year.

Boeing has not publicly confirmed how many 777X aircraft it will hand to Emirates in 2027. The airline's next delivery update is likely to come at the Dubai Airshow, where Emirates has announced most of its large orders, including for the 777X.