Chicago-based manufacturer Boeing Co. meanwhile announced its first major sale at the Dubai Air Show, selling nearly $9 billion worth of 737 MAXs to India’s Akasa Air. Tim Clark of state-owned Emirates told reporters at the aviation show that a proposal to sell shares of Emirates “is out there” after his boss, Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, commented on the possibility. Clark described Emirates, long the jewel of the state-linked companies that make up what analysts call “Dubai Inc.,” as attractive to future investors. “The pandemic has set us back, of course, but as you know the profitability of Emirates is a well-known fact,” he said. He was blunt about the planes’ value to Emirates, noting that 80% of the carrier’s profitability came from the planes before the pandemic.
