Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Emirates 'stuns' rivals with A380 order


Hello,


It's the Berlin Airshow and time for airlines to confirm presence, to place orders for new aircraft, to catch up with the latest technological advances on the market.

Read the article from yesterday on Today in the Sky (the link is on the right) and discuss what you think of it.


Jun 8 2010 10:01AM from USATODAY.com

Dubai-based carrier Emirates says it will order 32 more Airbus A380 superjumbojets. That would give the carrier -- already the world's largest A380 customer -- a whopping 90 A380s in its fleet by the end of 2017.
Business Traveller magazine says Emirates now accounts for "just under" 40% of the worldwide orders Airbus has received for the A380, the world's commercial passenger jet.
Reuters says Emirates' order -- valued at about $11.5 billion at list prices -- came as "a surprise opening to the Berlin Air Show."
"This is the single largest 380 order ever," Airbus CEO Tom Enders is quoted as saying by The Associated Press. He calls the order a "sign of confidence in the 380 and in Airbus."
So far, Airbus has delivered 10 A380s to Emirates. The carrier flies the jet in several different configurations depending on the length of the flight, according to Bloomberg News, which notes the jet "typically seats 525 passengers."
But, even with the prospect of having 90 of the superjumbojets in its fleet by the end of 2017, Emirates also is considering adding A380s that have an even larger seating capacity. Bloomberg writes "Emirates President Tim Clark said his airline would be interested in buying a stretched version of the A380 that can seat about 1,000 passengers, a model Airbus said it may consider building sometime in the future."

Reuters puts Emirates' latest order in perspective, noting the carrier "started in 1985 with two planes" but now "has grown to rival the likes of Qantas and Singapore Airlines for passenger traffic between Europe and east Asia." In fact, Emirates claims to have become the world's second-largest airline based on available seat miles, according to Business Traveller.
Reuters adds "the sheer size and scope of [today's] order stunned Emirates' global competitors." The news agency quotes Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber as saying: "It is already to many of us a miracle that Emirates now already has more seats on intercontinental routes than Air France and BA together with a relatively small home market. One must assume that this is not an investment for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), but it is an investment for the world."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on hand in Berlin to witness the signing ceremony. Aviation Week notes "Emirates placed the order at a time it is heavily lobbying Berlin for additional traffic rights to expand its network; a move Lufthansa is vehemently opposing."
Regardless, the order comes during a successful period for Emirates. Dow Jones writes that Emirates "in May posted a fivefold rise in full-year net profit to ($954 million) and said it expects double-digit growth to continue this year."
John Strickland, director of U.K.-based JLS Consulting, tells Dow Jones: "Emirates' strategy is obviously working well given their recent results, especially as carriers elsewhere are suffering. It's targeting a wide range of markets and is using the superjumbos to shift as many people as possible."
It sounds incredible! What do you think?
Regards,RV

1 comment:

  1. The carrier Emirates is expanding at a fast speed at a time when other world carriers are struggling to strength their positions in the market. It is clear that the carrier's strategy is very successful and effective. The $11.5 billion order the carrier placed to buy other superjumbo jets from Airbus shows that it is growing bigger and bigger and moving ahead with confident steps towards becoming a world leader in the field of aviation.

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