[News and Observer] Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The biennial Dubai Air Show opened Sunday with hometown long-haul carrier Emirates making a $15.1 billion buy of American-made Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, as the world's biggest defense companies promoted their weapons amid heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.Other airlines also are taking part, but missing from the trade show this year is one of the region's largest long-haul carriers, Qatar Airways, amid diplomatic fallout between Qatar and four Arab nations.
The Boeing announcement came after over an hour and a half of delays by Emirates amid rumors of a possible Airbus sale involving its A380 aircraft, a major workhorse for the airline. Journalists asked Emirates CEO and Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum about Boeing's European competitor Airbus, specifically its A350.
"We were comparing the two apples," he said, but found that the Boeing 787 is "the best option" for Emirates "given its maintenance and so on."