Boeing awarded $2.8bn

Boeing and Emirates finalised an order for 10 747-8 Freighters during an official ceremony held at Dubai's Department of Civil Aviation yesterday.

The signing was made by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates chairman and CEO, and Boeing's Dubai-based sales director, Ken Schulz.

The 10 747-8 Freighters, which have a payload capacity of 140 metric tons, are valued at $2.8bn at list prices and were previously attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's orders and deliveries website.

Emirates SkyCargo will receive its first delivery of Boeing's latest heavy freighter in 2010. Emirates new 747-8 Freighters position the carrier to take advantage of strong regional and international cargo markets. Air cargo traffic into, out of and within the Middle East accounted for 5.8 percent of the world's tonnage and nearly five percent of the world's revenue tonne-kilometres during 2005.