Emirates will invest up to $12 billion in Al Maktoum International as part of the Dubai government’s $35 billion redevelopment of the site, which is slated to replace DXB as the emirate’s main aviation hub by 2032.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group, said total spending will far exceed the headline figure.

He said Emirates plans to finance its share of the investment through a combination of cash reserves and new debt.

Moreover, U.K. Export Finance, the government-backed export credit agency, announced during the Dubai Airshow that it will invest $3.5 billion to support the participation of the U.K. businesses in the new airport. 

The White House hosted a heavyweight mix of political, business and sports figures at President Donald Trump’s black-tie dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday night.

The guest list was filled with CEOs from tech and finance, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and Chevron’s Mike Wirth, Paramount’s David Ellison and Palantir’s Alex Karp.

Also present were Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman, as well as 26North’s Josh Harris, and Dina Powell McCormick, the Vice Chairman of merchant bank BDT-MSD and former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor. Another prominent guest was soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League.

The Saudi leader, wearing his traditional royal robe while standing in the East Room next to a tuxedo-clad Trump, hailed the close ties between the two countries that go back nine decades. Earlier in the day, he said Saudi Arabia’s investment in the U.S. could reach close to $1 trillion.

“We believe the opportunity is huge,” Prince Mohammed said. “We’re going to focus on implementation and keep increasing the opportunities between our… countries.”

Trump hosted the dinner of pistachio-crusted rack of lamb and sweet potato puree with his wife Melania, who wore a green strapless gown designed by Lebanese couturier Elie Saab. 

Members of the Trump administration who attended included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum,
and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Even before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman touched down earlier today with an entourage of 1,000 on his first visit to the U.S. in seven years, U.S. President Donald Trump was playing dealmaker.

Bucking opposition in Congress for one of the most controversial items on the agenda when the two leaders meet at the White House, Trump said the sale to Saudi Arabia of a fleet of F-35 stealth fighter jets for roughly $4 billion was practically in the bag.

“They want to buy it, they’ve been a great ally,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, adding, “Yeah, I will say that we will be doing that. We’ll be selling F-35s.”

Virtually every member of the Saudi cabinet, senior officials from the Public Investment Fund and CEOs from state-owned companies will be among those accompanying Prince Mohammed as part of a delegation Al-Arabiya said would total about 1,000. A more exclusive black-tie dinner is being arranged in the White House East Room for tonight.

Among the business leaders will be Tareq Amin, CEO of state-backed Humain, who is pitching Silicon Valley companies on the kingdom as a major source of AI computing power and is visiting the White House to seek U.S. approval for access to advanced American chips, Bloomberg reports.

Humain is central to Saudi plans to build large-scale AI infrastructure as the country aims to become one of the world’s largest exporters of computing resources.

On Wednesday, the two countries are organizing a Saudi-American investment forum at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where both leaders are expected to appear, similar to the conference Saudi Arabia sponsored in May when Trump visited the kingdom. This week’s event is being organized by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment and the U.S.-Saudi Business Council.

Flydubai has signed up for 150 Airbus A321 Neo jets at the Dubai Airshow, marking its first Airbus order and a shift from its all-Boeing fleet.

The company will use the planes to diversify its fleet and strengthen its long-term expansion plans, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, Chairman of Flydubai and CEO and Chairman of Emirates, told reporters at the airshow on Tuesday. 

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways placed an order for 32 wide-body aircraft from Airbus, including six A330 Neos, for delivery between 2028 and 2029.

Etihad also agreed to lease nine A330-900s from Avalon beginning in 2027 to support its long-haul expansion.

Meanwhile, Emirates President Tim Clark said he will hold off on ordering Airbus A350-1000 jets until engine durability and performance improve.

U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House tomorrow with the ceremonial trimmings associated with a full State Visit – a grand arrival on the South Lawn, bilateral talks in the Oval Office and a formal dinner with Congressional and business leaders – despite the visit being described as a “working meeting.”

Washington officials and Saudi counterparts say multiple economic and defense agreements are expected to be sealed, underscoring the elevated status of the visit. “State visits” are technically reserved only for heads of state, which in the case of Saudi Arabia remains King Salman. 

Behind the scenes the agenda includes a Saudi request to buy advanced fighter jets – potentially as many as 48 F‑35 stealth aircraft – from the U.S. and the prospect of a deeper U.S.-Saudi mutual-defense pact, similar to one enjoyed by Qatar.

The Saudi leader’s visit to the U.S., his first in seven years, follows Trump’s Gulf tour in May when Prince Mohammed showered the President with palace honors and contract commitments adding up to some $600 billion. 

Trump has also said repeatedly that he hopes to use this week’s visit as a springboard for bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords fold, thereby normalizing Riyadh’s ties with Israel as part of a broader regional realignment.

Meanwhile, Saudi Aramco is set to sign U.S. liquefied natural-gas deals during the visit, reflecting the kingdom’s pivot to gas and Washington’s interest in bolstering supply chains, Reuters reports.

In addition, Riyadh’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, has recently trimmed its holdings in nine U.S.-listed companies ahead of the visit, including Visa and Pinterest, the Financial Times reports.

Emirates set the tone on Day 1 of the Dubai Airshow with a $38 billion order for 65 Boeing 777-9s, offering the aircraft giant a timely reprieve as it works to steady the long-delayed 777X program.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline group, said at a press conference on Monday that the order is a “massive long-term commitment” to U.S. aerospace manufacturing.

The airline will also roll out SpaceX’s Starlink across its fleet, with the first flight to offer the boosted Wi-Fi service on Nov. 23.

Despite Boeing’s early lead, the bulk of the orders from one of the world’s biggest airshows is expected to be won by Airbus.

The European planemaker is closing in on a deal to supply about 100 A321neos to Flydubai, a shift that would challenge Boeing’s long-standing dominance at the low-cost carrier. 

The rivalry between Boeing and Airbus will play out at next week’s Dubai Airshow as the industry wrestles with delayed jets, geopolitical conflict and an increasingly competitive battle for orders. 

Airbus, which trails Boeing in annual orders, is especially looking to use the Middle East’s flagship aviation event to narrow the gap, Reuters reports. The European planemaker is preparing a series of announcements, hoping to regain momentum after President Donald Trump’s May trip to the Gulf produced tens of billions of dollars in Boeing orders.

Airbus sees an opening with flydubai, whose first potential order from Europe could chip away at Boeing’s dominance at the carrier, the news agency said. Emirates, celebrating its 40th anniversary, is expected to play a pivotal role in the week’s activity with around 300 aircraft orders across the show, including a possible purchase of Airbus A350-1000s.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is also set to boost Airbus’s tally. The airline is expected to order more than a dozen wide-body jets, adding to a growing regional bet on long-range aircraft that can sustain the global reach of Gulf hubs.

Boeing will arrive in Dubai with deals of its own, but under a cloud of fresh delays, Reuters said. The long-awaited 777X program has slipped further, pushing its entry into service seven years behind schedule.

Saudi Arabia’s influx of senior executives and wealthy expatriates is driving growth in so-called concierge and lifestyle management services.

Less familiar in the West, concierge services are a popular luxury in the Gulf, easing the transition for new arrivals and helping them through anything from bureaucratic processes to finding a new home or transporting a pet.

“We brought people from our offices around the world working with young, brilliant, talented Saudis so that the service that you can expect when you arrive is really ticked off,” Sir Ben Elliot, founder of global luxury concierge firm Quintessentially, told Arab News during the TOURISE summit in Riyadh. 

Elliot said the company is trying to accommodate customers in the ‘”avalanche of people” relocating to Saudi Arabia.