DUBAI — Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has placed a firm order for 56 new Boeing wide-body aircraft, with options and purchase rights for a further 26, to support its continued global expansion.

The order represents an investment of up to US$25.2 billion at list prices, including related engines.

The deal, unveiled at the Dubai Air Show, includes 25 next-generation Boeing 777X aircraft of which 17 are 777-9X and eight are 777-8X aircraft. Etihad Airways is the first airline to order the 777-8X and will be a launch customer for the aircraft which is expected to enter service around the end of the decade.

The airline also ordered 30 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners.  The announcement makes Etihad Airways the largest airline customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, when combined with previous orders for 41 of the Boeing 787-9 variant, and includes the milestone 1,000th Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be ordered.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “This is a significant, timely and essential order for us, as we celebrate our 10th anniversary and plan for our next decade and beyond.

“In just 10 years, we have grown from a start-up carrier to a global airline. This order enables us to build upon our achievements, using the next generation of aircraft to support our next generation of development.”

The aircraft will be used by Etihad Airways to launch flights to new destinations, add capacity in existing markets and progressively replace existing, less-efficient aircraft.

The first of the new aircraft to join the Etihad Airways fleet will be the Boeing 787-10s, which will begin arriving in 2018, followed by the 777-9X from 2020 and the 777-8X from 2022.