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Emirates (airline)

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Emirates
File:Emirates logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
EK UAE Emirates
Founded1985
HubsDubai International Airport
Frequent-flyer programSkywards
AllianceArab Air Carriers Organization
Fleet size92
Destinations80
Parent companyThe Emirates Group
HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
Key peopleSheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (Chairman/CEO)
Websitehttp://www.emirates.com
"Emirates" redirects here. For other uses, see Emirates (disambiguation).

Emirates Airline (shortened form: Emirates) (Arabic: الإمارات al-Imārāt) is an airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates owned by The Emirates Group. It operates services to the Middle East, Far East, Europe, Africa, Indian subcontinent, Asia-Pacific and North America. Its main base is Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB).

History

The airline was established in May 1985 by the Dubai government. It started operations on 25 October 1985 with flights to Bombay (now Mumbai), Delhi, Madras (now Chennai) and Karachi. The Airbus A300 and Boeing 727 which it leased to start operations were acquired from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which they used for a period of time before they received their own aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.

European destinations were added in July 1987 and Far Eastern services in June 1990. Emirates acquired a financial stake of 40% and a management contract for 1 April 1998 Air Lanka, now known as Sri Lankan Airlines. Emirates is the only airline that can take travelers from the United States (Kennedy Airport) to Australia eastward with just one stop [1]. Emirates SkyCargo is the cargo subsidiary of Emirates.

For 2004-05, Emirates paid an increased dividend of Dh368 million to the Government of Dubai, compared to Dh329 million last year. In total, the ownership received Dh1.1 billion from Emirates since dividends started being paid six years ago. The Dubai government is the sole owner of the company, but does not put any money into it, apart from the initial investment.

In fiscal year 2005, Emirates achieved a record result of Dh2.6 billion ($708 million) net profit from Dh19.1 billion ($5.2 billion) operating revenue in what was another difficult year for the global aviation industry, marred by high fuel prices and the natural disaster in South East Asia. Emirates carried 12.52 million passengers, 2.1 million more than the previous year. It employs 16,119 staff.

Services

New routes

  • Emirates will add a 3rd daily flight on its Dubai-New York JFK route in October 2006. Unlike the other 2 flights which operate nonstop, this flight will operate daily via Hamburg using a Boeing 777-300ER.

Fleet

File:EmiratesA345.PNG
Emirates A340-500 at London Gatwick Airport
Emiratess B777-300 at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport

Current fleet

The Emirates fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of March 2006):

Ordered aircraft

The average age of the Emirates fleet is 5 years at April 2006.

  • Emirates has ordered 45 airbus A380 aircraft. It will be the third airline to receive the aircraft, after launch airline Singapore Airlines and then Qantas. Forty-one passenger A380-800s are to be purchased and two are to be leased from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). Two freighter A380-800Fs were ordered for Emirates SkyCargo, however, this was changed to the passenger model in May 2006. Their first A380 was to enter service in October 2006[1] but will now not likely be delivered until early 2007.
  • At November 20, 2005, Emirates has an orderbook of Dh110 billion, involving 105 firm orders, including 45 Airbus A380s (by far the largest of any carrier), 18 Airbus A340-600HGW aircraft, 24 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, 10 777-200LR, and 8 777 Freighters.[2] However, the A340-600s have been deferred indefinitely, as Emirates is awaiting information on Airbus' rumored A340-600E.[2] The A340-600HGW deposits may be transferred to apply for the A380.[3]
  • Emirates is still choosing between Boeing's 787 or Airbus' A350. It is said that Boeing is planning on creating a larger 787 called the 787-10 that Emirates has been pushing Boeing to offer. According to Emirates, they want a fuel efficient plane that can seat 300 passengers. The A350 is designed to carry 300 passengers, while the closest Boeing 787 that can carry this many passengers is the 787-9, with 290 passengers. However, recently, Airbus has reported various problems concerning their A350 project, so many airlines are waiting for for Airbus to resolve these problems. Airlines are hoping that by the Farnborough Air Show later this year, Airbus will introduce the model, where it is expected airlines around the world, including Emirates will place orders.In April 2006, it appears closer to a decision on the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 with a possible order of up to 50 aircraft coming in 2-3 months.
  • Emirates may delay delivery for several years of a dozen Airbus 340-600 allowing time for Airbus to work on improvements on the aircraft.It ordered 12 and took options on another 8. It has converted an order for 2 A380 freighters to passenger aircraft because specifications are yet to be finalized. The A380Fs were due for delivery in 2009.

Facts of interest

  • Emirates is the main sponsor behind the America's Cup challenge team Emirates Team New Zealand, made from the remnants of Team New Zealand who won the cup in 1996, and defended in 2000 before losing it in 2003.
  • Emirates will become the main sponsor of Arsenal F.C. from the 2006/2007 English football season, and will also have its name on Arsenal's new stadium, Emirates Stadium, which opens in August 2006 until June 2014.

Awards

Awards Emirates has received

Incidents

  • An A340-313X of Emirates ran off the runway when taking off from Johannesburg International Airport on April 9 2004. Both pilots were unfamiliar with this lighter variant of the Airbus. At the call to rotate, the pilot flying pulled back on the stick. However, according to a report by the airline, "for approximately six or seven seconds the aircraft nose did not move upward"[1]. The nose finally came up, but the aircraft still did not become airborne. The crew felt a rumbling, selected full power, and about two seconds later the aircraft lifted off the ground[1]. The airport says 25 runway threshold and approach lights, and part of the runway surface, were damaged as the aircraft went over the end of 21R. Apparently the calculated rotation speed (Vr) was too low, so the Airbus fly-by-wire system kept it on the ground, rather than risking an overrotation. The pilot had received incorrect rotation instructions during a simulator session. Emirates' training establishment was censured by Airbus after an investigation.
Emirates Airbus A330-200
Emirates Boeing 777

References

  1. ^ Airliner World. March, 2005
  2. ^ "Emirates pushes for A340-600 Enhanced in place of high gross weight variant." Kingsley-Jones, M. Flight International. March 17, 2006.
  3. ^ "Emirates may switch Airbus A340 orders to A380-CEO." Reuters. April 13, 2006.

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