Emirates could be about to walk away from its Boeing 787 Dreamliner order entirely. The Dubai carrier's deputy president and COO, Adel Al Redha, said at Arabian Travel Market 2026 that converting the order into additional 777X aircraft "remains on the table", with a decision expected within about two months of talks with Boeing.

The numbers behind the dilemma: Emirates has 35 Dreamliners on order — 20 787-8s and 15 787-10s — after years of on-off commitments dating back to 2017. If it keeps the order, deliveries won't start until the end of 2029. Meanwhile, its first 777-9 is expected in the second quarter of 2027; that aircraft has already rolled out of Boeing's factory and is being painted in Emirates livery. The catch: the 777X still needs full FAA certification and ETOPS approval, expected by late 2026 or early 2027.

It's a big deal for Emirates because the airline is one of the world's largest widebody operators, with roughly 270 aircraft including 117 A380s and more than 125 777s, many of them ageing. In total it's waiting on more than 300 new planes — 46 more A350-900s, 270 777Xs (the largest order for that programme) and the 35 787s — with the backlog stretching to at least 2038. Tim Clark confirmed in July at Farnborough that the first 777-9 should arrive in Q2 2027.

In the meantime, the A350 is doing the heavy lifting. Emirates has 27 A350-900s in service, flying them on regional Gulf routes to Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat and Baghdad, across Europe to cities like Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Rome and newly launched Helsinki, and increasingly on long hauls. From November, the A350 takes over the Dubai–Orlando route — around 7,754 miles and roughly 16 hours — making it the airline's longest A350 flight, ahead of Adelaide, Montreal and Cape Town. Cirium data shows over 20,500 A350 flights scheduled for 2026.

Travellers should also notice the cabin refresh programme. Emirates has upsized it from about 120 aircraft to 219 — 110 A380s and 109 777s — with around 100 done so far. More than 3,800 premium economy seats have been installed, and demand has outstripped expectations, so checking whether your 777 or A380 flight has the new cabins is worth doing before booking.

Emirates is also lobbying for a stretchier 777X. Its 2023 Dubai Airshow order for 65 extra 777-9s included options to convert some to a proposed 777-10, which could run about 268 feet long and carry around 475 passengers in two classes — though Boeing is still only studying the idea.

For passengers, the practical upshot: expect more A350s on your Emirates routes over the next couple of years, the first 777-9s from 2027 if certification holds, and possibly no Dreamliners at all in the fleet if the 787 order gets swapped. Watch for an announcement after the airline wraps up its Boeing talks.