Dubai-based Emirates on 8 December announced that it had place a $1,500 million order for 92 GP7200 engines to power 23 Airbus A380 aircraft with the US' Engine Alliance - a US joint venture between GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney. The chairman of the Emirates Group, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, made the announcement at the Dubai 2003 airshow. The deal means that Engine Alliance will supply all the engines for the company's 45 A380s - 43 of which will be purchased from Europe's Airbus, and two that it will be leased from International Lease Finance.