Emirates today signed an $8.8 billion purchase agreement for 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The United Arab Emirates flagcarrier appears to have selected the 296-seat -9 twinjet in place of some of the larger -10 model covered by an earlier memorandum of understanding.

In an announcement made at the Dubai Airshow, Emirates said that it the deal involves substituting the thirty 787-9s for an equivalent number of 777Xs called for in an earlier agreement, while stressing that it intends to operate both aircraft on long-haul routes.

Deliveries of the new Dreamliners will begin in May 2023 and will span five years. It still has 126 of Boeing's 777Xs on order and remains the world’s largest 777 operator with 155 of the twinjet in its fleet. The new agreement also covered the provision of 777 spare parts by Boeing Global Services.

In a typical two-class configuration, the 787-9 offers a range of up to 7,530 nm. Collectively, 80-plus airlines worldwide have ordered more than 1,400 Dreamliners to date.