The biggest deals signed at the Dubai Airshow, where almost $50 billion of planes were bought and sold

• Airlines made big orders to increase their fleets at this week's Dubai Airshow, spending a total of almost $50 billion.
• Both Boeing and Airbus racked up multi-billion dollar orders, which in some cases were the result of years of negotiation.
• Emirates was the biggest buyer of the week, spending close to $25 billion.
• The purchases were a big show of confidence for Airbus' newest plane, the A321 XLR, and Boeing's embattled 737 Max.
• Check out the full list of plane purchases at the show below.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Almost $50 billion worth of planes were just sold at the Dubai Airshow, as the world's largest aircraft makers gathered in the desert for five days.

The world's two largest plane makers, Boeing and Airbus, saw billions worth of orders both for their newest plane types and their flagship models.

While airlines typically negotiate a better deal than the list prices - which are the suggested retail price by the manufacturer - the spree proved that airlines were willing to spend despite industry fears that some of the larger orders would not be finalized.

Emirates: $25 billion on 5o Airbus long-haul jets, and 30 Boeing 787

Dubai-based Emirates was the biggest purchaser of the week, spending close to $25 billion, and buying 80 jets in total.

It first announced an order for 50 of Airbus' long-haul A350-900 XWB planes, worth $16 billion. Each can carry 369 passengers.

The deal has been years in the making.

Later in the week Emirates agreed to buy 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, worth $8.8 billion. At the same time it reduced its order for Boeing's 777x model from 150 to 126 as the plane faces a delayed introduction to service.

Air Arabia: $14 billion on 120 new Airbus planes

Low-cost airline Air Arabia placed an order for 120 planes in Airbus' A320 family, worth around $14 billion. It ordered:

• 73 A320neos, a jet that carries a maximum of 194 passengers.
• 27 A321neos, capable of transporting 244 people.
• 20 A321XLRs, the latest version of the A321, unveiled at the Paris Air Show in June. It also seats 244.

GE Capital Aviation Services: Up to $6.1 billion on 32 new Airbus short- and medium-haul planes

Commercial aircraft leasing firm GE Capital Aviation Services was also busy making deals with Airbus, announcing an order for 32 planes.

It bought 12 A330neos and 20 A321XLRs for an undisclosed sum. At list price, those planes would be worth around $6.1 billion.

Even Boeing's stricken 737 Max plane, which has struggled to attract buyers since being grounded globally following two deadly crashes, saw renewed interest, with 60 of the aircraft sold this week.

Air Astana: $3.6 billion on 30 737 Max

Air Astana, flag carrier of the Republic of Kazakhstan, signed a letter of intent to order the planes, which it will fly on largely domestic routes in Kazakhstan, and on flights to neighboring countries like Russia.

SunExpress: $1.2 billion on 10 737 Max planes

SunExpress, a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, added the 737 Max jets to its fleet, which flies to 107 largely vacation destinations across Europe, Western Asia, and the US.

Boeing also announced that an unidentified customer ordered 20 of the planes.

Ghana's government: $1.07 billion on three Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and six De Havilland Dash 8-400

On top of the 30 787 Dreamliners bought by Emirates, Boeing sold many more, including an order of three 787-9 planes from the government of Ghana, which announced its intention to re-launch an airline. At list prices the order would be worth $877.5 million.

In addition to its 787 order, Ghana signed a letter of intent to order up to six of Canada's De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft. The Dash is a propeller aircraft with room for 74 passengers.

Air Senegal: $730 million on eight Airbus A220

Senegal's flag carrier almost double its fleet with the order, increasing its overall numbers from five planes to 13. The A220, which seats a maximum of 160 people, will be flown on routes in and around West Africa.

Palma Holding Limited: $640 million on De Havilland Dash 8-400

Palma Holding, a leasing company based in Dubai bought 20 of the De Havilland planes.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines: $585 million on two 787 Dreamliners

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national flag carrier of Bangladesh, added the two Dreamliners to its fleet of four of the aircraft. It flies 16 planes in total