Emirates Orders 30 More Boeing 777-300 ERs

Emirates Orders 30 More Boeing 777-300 ERs

Emirates (www.emirates.com), the Dubai-based international airline, today placed an order for an additional 30 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, worth approximately US$9.1 billion (NZ$12.9 billion) in list prices. The new order adds to the fleet of 71 Boeing 777-300ERs previously ordered, of which 53 aircraft are currently in service.

His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, witnessed the signing at the Farnborough Air Show. The agreement was signed between H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and Jim Albaugh, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“Emirates is the world’s largest operator of 777s and this latest order, adding to the 71 previously ordered, affirms Emirates’ strategy to become a world leading carrier and to further establish Dubai as a central gateway to worldwide air travel,” said Sheikh Ahmed. “Our latest deal signals Emirates’ confidence in the growth of the thriving aviation sector and our commitment to building a modern, environmentally efficient fleet for tomorrow,” he added.

Emirates operates the latest Boeing 777 300ER on its daily service to Dubai and beyond via Australia from Christchurch and will from next month switch to the same aircraft type on its daily Auckland-Melbourne-Dubai service. (Emirates also operates a daily Airbus A380 superjumbo service from Auckland to Dubai via Sydney, and a daily Airbus A340-500 service from Auckland to Dubai via Brisbane.)

The 777-300ER will be operated in a three-class configuration with eight first class suites, 42 lie-flat business class seats and 310 economy class seats and offers an additional cargo payload of 20.1 tonnes. Emirates has 86 Boeing 777s in service – three -200s, six -200ERs, 10 -200LRs, 12 -300s, 53 -300ERs and two freighters.

“Emirates is today one of the world’s leading airlines thanks in part to the 777. Its ambitious expansion plans have established itself as a global force in the aviation sector,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Emirates has played an important role in the 777’s success with its significant support of the program and valuable feedback over the years. Today’s order serves to underscore the airline’s confidence in the airplane, which forms the mainstay of its fleet.”

Emirates also announced at Farnborough that it had selected the Engine Alliance GP7200 engines to power the additional 32 Airbus A380 aircraft it ordered last month. The total value of the deal, including spare engines and a maintenance agreement, is approximately US$4.8 billion over the life of the contract.

“GP7200 engines are powering the 11 Airbus A380 aircraft currently operating in our fleet and the results have been very positive,” stated HH Sheikh Ahmed. “The engine's fuel efficiency, reliability and low noise output were decisive factors in our selection of the product for our additional 32 Airbus A380s.”

Emirates is on track to become one of the largest airlines in the world. In addition to the order placed at Farnborough, Emirates has on order 79 Airbus A380s, 70 Airbus A350s and seven Boeing freighters, totalling 204 wide-body aircraft worth more than US$67 billion. In a year where the aviation industry was rocked by the economic downturn, Emirates Airline recently reported its 22nd year of profit, up 416 percent to close at US$964 million over its 2008-09 profits of US$187 million.

ENDS

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