BOEING Co, the world's second-largest plane maker, has won an order from FlyDubai, a Middle Eastern startup airline, for 54 B737-800 short-haul planes worth US$3.78 billion at list prices.

The budget carrier, which is owned by the Dubai government and plans to begin flying in the middle of next year, will take delivery of the planes from May 2009 through 2015, Chicago-based Boeing said yesterday at the Farnborough International Air Show outside London.

FlyDubai will operate to points not already served by Dubai-based carrier Emirates, including cities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. The government is spending US$33 billion on what it intends to be the world's largest airport at Jebel Ali, Bloomberg News said.