Today, Emirates fleet investment in Africa tops $7 billion with operating costs of over $2 billion and it currently operates to 22 passenger and six dedicated freighter destinations in Africa perating over 160 flights across the continent each week, connecting African economies and markets with Dubai and beyond to a global network of over 140 major cities.
Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline spoke with us at the World Routes Strategy Summit during a candid fireside chat discussing all things aviation and Emirates.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Route Development Forum Strategy Summit in Chicago, Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline suggested the European manufacturer could be in a position to make a final decision over the A380neo within a six month timeframe and that could easily meet with Emirates’ ambitions to grow its fleet.
Lufthansa is likely to receive the green light from Indian authorities to fly the A380 into Mumbai, but without the strong transfer traffic its current operating slot affords, it is unlikely to want to move the service to accommodate the utilisation of the larger aircraft and may have to wait up to 15 months until the airport completes work to support simultaneous A380 operations.
As Airbus and Boeing go head-to-head in negotiations for Emirates Airline’s outstanding order of 70 extra-widebodied aircraft, aviation intelligence expert OAG has revealed the critical importance of Emirates’ choice and how it could impact up to 88 per cent of the carrier’s flights.
The new daily flight will launch from October 27, 2014 and will be operated using a 278-seat Airbus A330-200 complementing the existing Dubai low-cost offering of Wizz Air and providing an alternative global connection option to the current flights of Qatar Airways via its Doha hub.
The Boeing 777-300ER will offer 88 additional Economy Class seats, representing a 40 per cent increase in capacity versus the 777-200LR. This is in addition to offering customers a choice of eight First Class Suites and 42 Business Class seats on every rotation.
Emirates has served Karachi since the carrier was founded in 1985, and in the past decade alone has transported over six million passengers on the route. The new service will boost the Emirates offering on the route to 14,185 seats each week, it confirms.
Emirates Airline began flights to Singapore in 1990 and it remains an important gateway in the Far East & Australasia region for the carrier, connecting passengers to Melbourne, Brisbane, Colombo and Dubai, and onward to destinations across Europe, the United States, Africa and the Middle East.
Brussels will be Emirates’ 147th destination. The non-stop service will be operated by a Boeing 777 in a three-class configuration. Emirates will be the first international airline to offer a First Class product from Brussels to the Middle East and Asia.
Emirates initially introduced flights between Dubai International Airport and Kuwait International Airport on July 16, 1989 but now serves the route five times daily with a combination of Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
Since commencing operations at Glasgow Airport on April 10, 2004, Emirates has carried over 2.4 million passengers across its global network, which now covers 141 destinations. Emirates currently offers over 43,000 passenger seats per month to and from Glasgow, following the upgrade of its second daily service to a Boeing 777 in 2012.