Emirates upbeat on sustaining growth in 2018

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Emirates upbeat on sustaining growth in 2018
Since January 2017, Emirates has carried over 59 million passengers.

dubai - In 2017, the Dubai-based carrier grew its fleet by 21 new aircraft

by

Issac John

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Published: Thu 28 Dec 2017, 5:40 PM

Last updated: Thu 28 Dec 2017, 7:47 PM

Emirates, the world's largest international airline, said on Thursday it is upbeat about 2018, after having recorded steady growth across all segments, including expansion of network and fleet size, despite challenging times.

In 2017, the Dubai-based carrier - the largest operator of wide-body aircraft in the world - grew its fleet by 21 new aircraft, with nine A380 and 12 Boeing 777-300ER deliveries, rounding off the year with 269 aircraft, and 243 aircraft pending delivery. The airline also retired 11 aircraft.

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"Emirates is concluding another banner year of growth and innovation, marking significant milestones across its fleet, network and product innovation initiatives, cementing its position as a market leader and industry trendsetter," the airline said.

Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates airline, said despite the ups and downs of 2017, Emirates delivered steady growth and has come out stronger and more resilient.

"Throughout the year, we challenged convention and acted nimbly to mitigate challenges and maximise opportunities. We implemented initiatives to boost revenues, trim costs and used emerging technologies to make our business and operations more agile, without compromising on quality or service. We enter 2018 with optimism and an unflagging drive to keep raising the bar in terms of customer experience and business performance," Sir Tim said.

One of the milestones in 2017 was the landmark delivery of the 100th Airbus A380 super jumbo in November. The airline marked nine years of A380 operations. The Emirates A380 has carried over 90 million passengers since its introduction in 2008.

Since January 2017, Emirates has carried over 59 million passengers. The airline served over 63 million meals on its flights departing Dubai and moved over 35 million pieces of baggage in Dubai to its network of 156 destinations.

Emirates registered over 3,600 passenger flights on average per week, or over 191,000 flights in 2017, travelling more than 886 million kilometres around the globe, which is equivalent to over 16,000 trips to Mars.

Emirates made global headlines at the Dubai Airshow when it placed a $15.1 billion for 40 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The order will enable the airline to maintain a young and efficient fleet, complementing its Boeing 777 and A380 fleet by providing more flexibility to serve new destinations.
To meet the growing demand for highly skilled commercial pilots, 2017 also saw the opening of the Emirates Flight Training Academy, one of the most advanced aviation training facilities in the world. Emirates' investment in the academy underscores its commitment to support and develop pilots for its own operations as well as for the broader aviation industry.

Emirates expanded its network to 156 destinations in 2017, with the addition of three new passenger destinations: Newark, USA, via Athens; Zagreb, Croatia; and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

In addition, the carrier boosted frequencies and upgraded capacity to several points across its network.

Emirates expanded the number of cities served by its A380 in 2017 to 48, with the launch of five new A380 destinations: Tokyo-Narita, Casablanca and São Paulo, Nice and Johannesburg. Emirates also layered on more A380 services to the schedules of existing points and also led one-off A380 services to four destinations: Boston, Colombo, Warsaw and Bahrain.

Another significant development in 2017 was Emirates' partnership with flydubai, which includes an extensive codeshare agreement, schedule alignment, as well as optimising synergies to eventually offer travellers access to over 200 destinations on the combined networks of both airlines.
In October, Emirates and Qantas announced the extension of their partnership until 2023, with proposed network changes that would deliver greater year-round frequency and more services to Australia and New Zealand.

The year began with Emirates' operations being challenged by short-notice changes to entry requirements into the US, the cabin electronics ban and updated security measures. Emirates responded by introducing a complimentary tablet and laptop handling service on the ground, and providing a tablet loan service to its premium passengers onboard.

- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com


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