Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) shares rose in early Tuesday morning trading after it announced that Ethiopian Airlines has agreed to order 11 787 Dreamliner and 20 737 MAX airplanes, with an opportunity for 15 and 21 additional jets, respectively.
The order follows a spate of deals announced at the Dubai Airshow and represents the largest Boeing jet purchase by an African carrier.
"This order will enable us to modernize and increase our fleet in support of Ethiopian Airlines' growth plan and our Vision 2035 Strategy,” commented Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew.
Other confirmed orders at the airshow include an order for seven 737-8 airplanes by Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines to expand its 737 MAX fleet. The order will nearly double SCAT's 737 fleet as the airline looks to open new routes to European destinations.
Royal Air Maroc placed a repeat order for the 787 Dreamliner, confirming two 787-9s in its order book as the North African carrier grows its widebody fleet.
Royal Jordanian announced an order for four 787-9 Dreamliner jets as the airline expands and modernizes its widebody fleet. Jordan's flag carrier also reconfirmed at the Dubai Airshow a previous order for two 787-9s, bringing its total 787-9 backlog to six.
FlyDubai, meanwhile, ordered 30 787 Dreamliners as the airline seeks to add routes, supporting Dubai’s aviation hub.
Emirates announced that the world's largest 777 operator has placed an order for 90 777X airplanes, including 55 777-9 and 35 777-8 jets.
Finally, SunExpress - a Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa joint venture – ordered up to 90 Boring 737 Max jets as it seeks to double the size of its fleet in the coming years.
Boeing's shares were up 0.9% at $207.84, taking gains for the past five days to 8.4%.
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