flydubai splits its all-Boeing fleet with potential orders of up to 250 Airbus A321neo aircraft
Throughout its history, flydubai has been an all-Boeing 737 operator.
flydubai and Airbus have announced that the airline, which has been an all-Boeing operator, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for up to 150 A321neo aircraft at the Dubai Airshow 2025.
On November 18, the second day of the event, flydubai and Airbus unveiled a MoU for up to 250 A321neo aircraft, confirming previous reports by Reuters that it was looking at acquiring around 100 A321neo aircraft, as well as additional Boeing 737 MAXs, during the event. (Boeing has yet to announce if flydubai has ordered any additional 737 MAX aircraft.)
flydubai said that the MoU was split between 150 firm and 100 options, with deliveries starting from 2031.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of flydubai, said that the MoU was not only about the aircraft, but that it also supports the vision of the ruling family of Dubai, aligning the airline with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
“This strategic addition diversifies our narrow-body fleet and strengthens our long-term expansion plans,” Al Maktoum added, noting that the MoU for the 150 A321neo aircraft will allow flydubai to play a key role in the success of the expansion plans of Dubai World Central (DWC), also known as Al Maktoum International Airport.
“The A321neos will support the next phase of our network development and enable us to meet rising demand across our markets.”
While the press release did not specifically indicate whether flydubai has opted only for the A321neo or if it will take delivery of the type's derivatives, such as the A321LR or the A321XLR, Airbus’ attached image to the statement is named ‘A321neo A321XLR FLYDUBAI,’ potentially indicating that flydubai could take delivery of A321XLRs sometime in the future.
Throughout its 16-year operational history, the airline has exclusively flown the 737, including the 737-800, 737 MAX 8, and 737 MAX 9, with planespotters.net records showing that the carrier now has 96 737 aircraft in its fleet.
During the previous Dubai Airshow, it had ordered 30 787-9 aircraft that will be delivered from 2027.
Swaying such a customer is a major win for Airbus, which has been ahead of its main rival, Boeing, in terms of production rates of single-aisle aircraft, as well as the products themselves in the past couple of years, with the A320 aircraft family also surpassing the 737 aircraft family in terms of deliveries in October.
This was not flydubai’s only announcement today. The airline, much like its close sibling Emirates, opted for Starlink to provide free and fast WiFi to its customers, it said on November 18. According to flydubai, the installation of the in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution will begin in 2026, with the majority of its fleet to be retrofitted with Starlink by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, after a zero-order day yesterday, Airbus has now booked two orders at the event, with Etihad Airways ordering 16 Airbus widebody aircraft, including its first A330-900, just an hour earlier.
Rytis Beresnevicius
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