Emirates orders 32 more A380s for total of 90

[johnsonrod]

Hot off the pressess... Looks like they will need to hire to keep up with the pace of aircraft orders. I hear that a big 777 order might come at Farnborough - you never know... If you want to fly the A380, Emirates will be the place to do it - and having Airbus experience would be helpful. Not sure how many Boeing pilots get selected for Airbus training (probably not many). Although, I am sure RJ pilots who are hired might be placed on the A330/A340/A380 track given the growth in the Airbus fleet (seems like the bulk of future growth is on the Airbus side with many A380s and 100+ A350s on order).

See below:


Emirates orders a further 32 Airbus A380s

Dubai based Emirates Airline has ordered a further 32 A380s from Airbus, taking their total firm orders for the iconic flagship of the 21st century to 90 aircraft. The order has a list price of US$ 11.5 billion. The agreement was signed in a ceremony today at the Berlin Air Show witnessed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, by Emirates Airline Group Chairman and CEO His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, and Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders

“This latest order, adding to 58 A380s previously ordered, affirms Emirates’ strategy to become a world leading carrier and to further establish Dubai as a central gateway to worldwide air travel. The A380 is our flagship in terms of passenger comfort, innovation, operating and environmental efficiency and revenue generation. Our latest commitment signals Emirates’ confidence in the growth to come in a thriving aviation sector,” said H.H.Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al- Maktoum.

“Emirates has supported the development of the A380 from the earliest days, and today’s order - the single largest A380 order ever - is the best endorsement I can imagine. On behalf of all of us at Airbus, we thank Emirates for their confidence and support. The A380 is indeed a remarkable eco-efficient aircraft, a profit generator for airlines and a great flying experience for passengers,” said Tom Enders.

Following delivery of their first A380 in July 2008, Emirates now operates ten aircraft serving eight international destinations including London Heathrow, Toronto, Paris, Jeddah, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney and Auckland. The airline expects the list of destinations to increase as more and more airports around the world are A380 ready. Emirates’ tenth A380, received on 7 June 2010, is on static display at the ILA Berlin Air Show. All Emirates’ A380 are powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 engines and delivered from Hamburg. In Germany more than 30 major suppliers are directly feeding into the A380 programme. The A380 programme alone adds an estimated 40,000 direct, indirect and induced German jobs.

The world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380, is also the quietest and most fuel efficient, demonstrably consuming less than three litres of fuel per passenger per 100 kilometres. Nearly 5.5 million passengers have already enjoyed the new experience of flying on-board one of the 30 A380s in service, taking them to 20 major international destinations worldwide in unequalled comfort.

The A380 in-service fleet has accumulated over 15,000 commercial flights, and its operators have unanimously praised its popularity with passengers, higher load factors and superior profitability. With a range of 8,300nm / 15,400 km, and seating from 400 to more than 800 passengers, the A380 is the answer to alleviate traffic congestion at busy airports, cope with growth and minimise environmental impact. A380 firm orders now stand at 234 from 17 customers.

 

[DHPFLYN]

They are pretty much hiring into the 777 now.

 

[TX_DFW]

I think the amount of growth they are planing along with the number of airplanes coming is not realistic. Can any airline grow that fast and be profitable, I have my doubts.

 

[johnsonrod]

They are pretty much hiring into the 777 now.

True, but I know two Airbus pilots from the States who just got assigned A330 at EK. They were initially told they would get 777 (despite having A319/320 time) due to a shortage of pilots on that fleet and then they were assigned A330. Both are fine with it because growth at EK will primarily be on the Airbus side with the A380 and the A350s on the way...

Schedules on the A330 suck for the time being (a lot of late night India sectors), but moving to the A340 (cross-qualification) in one year and the A380 as FO in 2-3 years will provide better routes.

 

[bizicmo]

I think the amount of growth they are planing along with the number of airplanes coming is not realistic. Can any airline grow that fast and be profitable, I have my doubts.

while i agree with questions about being profitable, does it matter? aren't they backed by some sort of oil money rich royalty person that could easily handle multiple years of losses for a future success. also isnt this airline also tied into trying to create the area into a vacation location.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

EK is part of Dubai's master plan to transition from oil revenues to transportation/logistics revenues. They want DXB to be THE main port, for products and air travellers.

cliff
LFW

 

[Gillegan]

while i agree with questions about being profitable, does it matter? aren't they backed by some sort of oil money rich royalty person that could easily handle multiple years of losses for a future success. also isnt this airline also tied into trying to create the area into a vacation location.

Emirates are profitable and have been all but 2 years of its existence. They are audited annually by Price Waterhouse and do publish an annual report. As far as backing from an "oil rich royalty person", I suggest you read the news...the Emirate of Dubai is broke and busy restructuring billions of dollars of debt. Emirates do not receive subsidies though it does receive plenty of cooperation from the government in terms of lax regulation and subsidized infrastructure (airport facilities). Emirates have been the single largest contributor to Dubai's GNP for the past few years.

I've been here a long time and I'm not a fan of how they treat their employees but in actual fact, Emirates is run as a commercial enterprise and has done pretty well. Their marketing and planning people are in my opinion, the best in the industry and are quite simply, magicians at putting people in the seats for the highest possible fares. Dubai benefits from a good geographic location - centrally located between Asia, Africa and Europe.

All that said, I am of the opinion that they have lost their minds with this order - there aren't that many airports in the world that can take the A380 on a daily basis (though that will surely change over time) and when you compare it's fuel burn vs. payload with any of the current generation widebody twins, it is a pig. All of the comparisons that Airbus uses for efficiency in the brochure are against the 747-400. It is a very nice airplane from a passenger perspective but the plane needs to be filled up (when it is, it is very profitable). I just can't imagine where they can fly 90 of the beasts full. Either they are anticipating some kind of substantial and fundamental change in the industry in the future or this is a case of the Arabs measuring their manhood (seen that before).

To the folks thinking that this order will change the upgrade situation at Emirates in the near term, consider that the planes won't be on the property for at least 7 years, that we realistically won't be seeing the 350's before 2015 and that the airline will have to roughly double in size after you join (very young pilot group and attrition probably won't alter things significantly). Factor in the possibility of DEC's and it's a big gamble if the left seat is your goal.

 

[uba757]

I agree 99.9% with Gilligan. The A380's reliability is less than 90%, it is not a reliable airplane by any means, I am really , really worried that we keep ordering this piece of $hit of an airplane.

uba757

 

[Dumb Pilot]

I agree 99.9% with Gilligan. The A380's reliability is less than 90%, it is not a reliable airplane by any means, I am really , really worried that we keep ordering this piece of $hit of an airplane.

uba757

Ugly toouke:

 

[Kenny]

Ugly toouke:

Not to change the subject but apparently the Qantas guys refer to it as "The Vagina", doesn't look that good from the outside but great once you're inside!