Emirates have signed a 13 billion euro ($15. billion) deal to buy 40 of the largest Dreamliner jets Boeing produce – the 787-10.

The Middle East’s biggest carrier made the announcement at the start of the 12th Dubai Air Show.

It came after over an hour and a half of delays by Emirates amid rumours of a possible Airbus sale involving its A380 aircraft.

But the airlines chairman said they chose the latest version of Boeing’s mid-sized wide-body jet after comparing it with the Airbus A350, which after a decade in service has seen sales decline in favour of smaller but equally efficient long-haul jetliners.

Boeing landed the order even as business confidence in the region has wobbled. But Sheikh Ahmed said the deal was proof that the region’s hub aviation model was working.

Airline chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said “Our announcement today also speaks to our confidence in the future of aviation in the UAE and the region.”

“And these new planes that we’ve just ordered will deliver from 2022 onward, taking the airline well into 2030.”

Emirates has yet to decide between engines offered by General Electric and Rolls-Royce.