Today’s Dubai Airshow was hectic for members of the media. Press conferences were being moved around like they were going out of fashion. However, it wasn't all bad news, because there were plenty of order announcements. Let’s take a look at the highlights!

Air Astana’s Boeing 737 MAX Order

For me, today’s star order was Air Astana’s Letter of Intent for 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The agreement will see Air Astana potentially order 30 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for its LCC subsidiary, Fly Arystan. With deliveries set to commence in 2021, it seems like Air Astana has secured a place within the existing aircraft queue. However, by placing an order for the 737 MAX, we have seen the airline express confidence in the aircraft.

Air Astana
The team from Boeing and Air Astana ink the letter of intent. Photo: Simple Flying

Air Senegal’s Airbus A220 order

Shortly after Air Astana’s order, the press assembled in an Airbus press conference. Here it was announced that Air Senegal would place a memorandum of understanding for eight Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The order would be firm, with no options. During the press conference, Air Senegal’s CEO, Mr Ibrahima Kane, said that due to the flexibility of the aircraft, it could be deployed from Dakar on routes ranging from Lagos to London.

air senegal
Air Senegal has ordered eight A220-300s. Photo: Simple Flying

Flynas firms 10 Airbus A321XLR orders

Saudi Arabia’s first low-cost airline, Flynas, firmed up an order for 10 Airbus A321XLR aircraft.  The airline currently has 80 A320neo family aircraft on order. In addition, it currently operates a fleet of 27 A320ceos and 4 A320neos.

An Airbus A321XLR Flynas
Flynas signed a firm commitment to the Airbus A321XLR. Photo: Airbus

GECAS orders 32 Airbus

Slightly later in the day, we saw GECAS order 32 Airbus aircraft. This consisted of 20 Airbus A321XLRs, which were announced at the Paris Airshow, alongside twelve Airbus A330neo aircraft. As the aircraft leasing arm of General Electric, GECAS won't operate the aircraft themselves, but will rather lease the aircraft to other airlines.

Dubai Airshow, 2019, Airbus, Boeing
GECAS ordered two different aircraft types today. Photo: Airbus

Ghana's three Boeing 787s

Heading back to Africa saw Ghana order three Boeing 787s. While the press conference was due to start at 10 o'clock, the order announcement was delayed until later in the day. This was put down to a delay at Dubai Airshow's security.

A Memorandum of Understanding was today signed between the Ghanaian Government and Boeing for three Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The aircraft will be used to relaunch Ghana Airlines, with Joseph Kofi Adda, the Ghanaian Minister of Aviation, saying: “We believe the advanced 787-9 Dreamliner gives us an efficient and flexible machine to launch a regional network and eventually serve international destinations in the future."

Dubai Airshow, 2019, Airbus, Boeing
Ghana is indebted to Ethiopian Airlines, which helped it relaunch the past. The future should see more airlines supporting each other to help keep connections open. Photo: Boeing

What's in store for tomorrow?

Tomorrow is the penultimate day of the Dubai Airshow. The weather is set to take a turn for the worse, with rain forecast from seven in the morning until nine at night. So far Emirates has confirmed a press conference at 11:00 tomorrow. What this will be regarding is currently under tight wraps. However, there are likely to be more events announced throughout the day.

What was your highlight of Dubai Airshow Day 3? Let us know in the comments!