Dubai-based flydubai (www.flydubai.com) marks its fifth Dubai Airshow by unveiling its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8. This is the first aircraft to be delivered from the largest single-aisle Boeing aircraft order placed in the Middle East in the 2013 edition of the show.

The new aircraft, bearing the UAE registration mark A6-MAX, is the first of 76 aircraft on order from Boeing; all of which will be delivered by 2023. Six of these aircraft will join the flydubai fleet by the end of the last quarter of 2017.

flydubai’s Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum commenting on the occasion said: “At the 2013 Dubai Airshow we made history by placing the largest order for this aircraft type in the Middle East. This was made before this aircraft took its first commercial flight. To see that commitment being fulfilled today is another milestone in Dubai’s aviation success story. The efficiency and enhanced performance this aircraft promises is going to play an important role in the new chapter of flydubai’s growth strategy.”

flydubai’s Chief Executive Officer, Ghaith Al Ghaith, commenting on the arrival of the MAX 8: “We are gearing up and putting the final touches to these new aircraft which will improve our overall fleet performance, bring more flexibility and efficiency to our operations and further support our commitment to opening up new destinations, whilst delivering an exceptional onboard experience for our passengers.”

flydubai’s new Boeing 737 MAX 8s will initially be deployed on the furthest points on the carrier’s network. Destinations including Bangkok, Prague, Yekaterinburg and Zanzibar will be among the first to be served by the MAX 8. The additional aircraft being delivered over the next few years will be rolled out across the fleet and will become available on most of the routes on the network.

"The 737 MAX family is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history with about 3,950 orders from 93 customers worldwide,” said Marty Bentrott, vice president, Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Central Asia and Africa. “It is tremendous to see flydubai’s MAX at the Dubai Airshow bearing the A6-MAX registration which is a very special accolade to our valued partnership with flydubai and to the MAX airplane.”

Since the beginning of 2017, flydubai has launched six new destinations and grown its network to more than 95 destinations, increased the schedule to more than 1,700 flights per week as well as rolled out its new uniform worn by more than 2,500 uniformed staff.