While the 2021 Dubai Airshow started slowly on Sunday, it quickly gathered pace on the second day. While there weren’t as many orders as the first day, the orders we had were interesting. The headline order came from ALC, who became the launch lessor of the Airbus A350 freighter.

The thermometer exceeded 30 degrees in Dubai today, but that didn’t stop the aviation world from coming together for the second day of the bi-annual Dubai Airshow. While Boeing is yet to net a significant commercial order, it has placed some move freighters. With three days of the show to go, it is not too late for the American planemaker.

Airbus & Embraer clock passenger aircraft orders

The headline of today’s show was ALC’s order for 111 Airbus aircraft from all of the European manufacturer’s plane families. The most exciting part of this was the Airbus A350F, which saw its first orders today. There are hopes that more orders will follow throughout the week.

Embraer also netted a customer order today, though it was significantly smaller than that clocked by Airbus. The Brazilian planemaker signed an order for six E175s with Nigerian airline Overland. The order is split between three firm orders and three options.

Boeing clocks freighter orders

While Boeing went another day without a passenger jet order, it certainly beats Airbus’ order for seven freighters. Before the day started, the company announced an order with DHL for nine converted Boeing 767s.

An order from Emirates quickly complemented this. However, the Dubai-based carrier went one step further than ordering converted freighters. Instead, Emirates placed an order for two brand new 777 freighters, giving Boeing 11 freighter orders against Airbus’ seven. Yesterday Boeing announced plans to up its freighter conversion capacity with new facilities in three cities, including London.

Boeing 737-800 Converted Freighter

Etihad is focusing on sustainability

Two years ago, Etihad and Boeing jointly announced the Greenliner program at the Dubai Airshow 2019. Having completed a stunning flypast yesterday, the Greenliner today joined the lineup on the static display.

With the Greenliner now taking pride of place at the airshow, Etihad is showing that the 2021 airshow is all about sustainability as far as it is concerned. Over the course of two days, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier has announced four different sustainability initiatives with partners ranging from Lufthansa Technik to Boeing.

Dubai Airshow, United Arab Emirates, Boeing 787

The move by Etihad is indicative of the general direction of the industry and a vital point of the current aviation industry. While it rightly took second place to health and safety at the height of the pandemic, sustainability is a huge focus point for the entire industry right now, from manufacturers to airlines and even passengers.

What was your highlight of the Dubai Airshow on day two? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!