Dubai Airshow 2021: Total deal value nears Dh240b as orders keep pouring in
Airbus’ deal with Nigeria’s Ibom Air was the highlight of the day
Dubai: Total deals at Dubai Airshow 2021 neared Dh240 billion on Wednesday, with global airlines continuing to place large aircraft orders.
Nigeria’s Ibom Air has signed a firm order for 10 Airbus A220s at the airshow. The order is valued at $900 million at current list prices.
“As an organization, we at Ibom Air are delighted with the steep growth we have achieved in just over two and a half years since we commenced operations, a growth chiefly driven by the massive embrace of our product and brand by the Nigerian domestic flying public,” said Mfon Udom, CEO of Ibom.
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is looking to significantly boost its freighter fleet as cargo demand continues to boom.
Martin Drew, Etihad’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Cargo, said several of the carrier’s Boeing 777-300 aircraft were “good candidates” for conversion to cargo. “We’re also evaluating the Airbus A350 freighter, which will be launched in 2025, as well as the Boeing 777x freighter.”
Meanwhile, Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline, and Emirates Post Group (EPG), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The two entities will work together to develop an e-commerce end-to-end global logistics platform, with a key focus on serving markets in the Middle East, Africa and West Asia.
Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice-President, Cargo, said: “We are very excited to be embarking on this pioneering partnership with Emirates Post Group to create a comprehensive global platform for e-commerce, a vertical which has been steadily increasing in importance over the years including most recently during the pandemic when more and more consumers shopped online from around the world.”
“This partnership is part of our broader e-commerce strategy to provide support as a distribution partner to small and medium sized e-commerce players and other businesses, based both within and outside the UAE, who may not have the required infrastructure required to scale their business and reach a global audience,” he added.