Dubai Airshow: Flydubai hits Max with a ton

Flydubai has committed to 100 737 MAX 8 airplanes and 11 Next-Generation 737-800s on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow.

The commitment from the low-cost carrier is valued at $11.4 billion at list prices and is the largest ever Boeing single-aisle airplane purchase in the Middle East. The investment continues flydubai’s legacy operating an all-Boeing 737 fleet.
The 737 MAX will build on the Next-Generation 737’s popularity and reliability while delivering customers unsurpassed fuel efficiency in the single-aisle market. The 737 MAX 8 is expected to be 8 percent per-seat more fuel efficient than the future competition.
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. Already a market success, the 737 MAX has accumulated more than 1,600 orders to date.
flydubai placed its first order for 50 Next-Generation 737-800s in 2008. The airline took delivery of its first airplane in 2009 and was the first airline in the world to debut the Boeing Sky Interior, an enhanced onboard experience. To date, flydubai has taken delivery of 32 Next-Generation 737-800s, with 18 remaining on order.
In the past two years, flydubai has more than doubled the number of destinations it flies to and has around 1,200 weekly flights. flydubai carried 5.1 million passengers in 2012 and has become the second largest carrier, by passenger numbers, operating out of Dubai International.