Emirates signs $16B service deal with GE Aviation

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Emirates has announced the biggest deal yet of the 14th Dubai Airshow — the UAE national carrier has signed a US$16 billion agreement with GE Aviation for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of the GE9X engines that will power the airline’s fleet of 150 Boeing 777X aircraft over a period of 12 years.

This is the airline’s single largest engine MRO contract to date. Emirates ordered the 150 aircraft at the last show in 2013.

Earlier Monday, Indian carrier Jet Airways announced an order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes.

The order includes options and purchase rights for an additional 50 aircraft, Boeing said.

“Incorporating the latest design and technology features, the highly efficient 737 MAX will allow us to drive our operational efficiency and reaffirms our commitment to providing a best-in-class full service travel experience to our guests,” said Naresh Goyal (below), chairman of Jet Airways.

“This order is an endorsement of our confidence in the long-term prospects of the Indian aviation sector, which reflects the positive forecast for the country’s economy and offers tremendous potential for growth and development.”

Jet Airways will be the first airline in India to take delivery of the single-aisle aircraft, said Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“The 737 MAX will bring new standards for fuel efficiency and economics, and a premium passenger experience to Jet Airways.” The deal is worth about $8 billion.

In other show news:

The UAE Air Force announced the purchase of two new Saab Global 6000 long-range surveillance aircraft.

Under the $1.27-billion deal, a further two Saab 340 jets already in UAE ownership will undergo systems upgrades.

Meanwhile, GE Aviation announced the opening of its Middle East Aviation Technology Center in Dubai. It will serve as a regional customer and product support hub.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft signed a memorandum of understanding with Abu Dhabi Aviation to work towards the establishment of Abu Dhabi Aviation as an authorized service facility for the Q Series aircraft.

“When a final agreement is reached, Abu Dhabi Aviation will become the first ASF for Q Series aircraft in the Middle East and will offer line and base maintenance services,” Bombardier said.

A 3D-printed drone, billed as the world’s fastest, largest and most complex, was unveiled Monday as part of the 3D Printshow.

The jet-engine powered aircraft took just two months to create and can break speeds of 320 kilometres an hour, the show organizers said. It was manufactured by 3D printing-technology leader Stratasys.

“This is the final piece in the puzzle for aerospace and we’re really excited to present it today,” said Jay Shelby of Stratasys.

“We’re here to show manufacturers what can be done when you take this technology and build your design around it. ”

The images are courtesy of Boeing, GE Aviation and F&E Aerospace.

Emirates announces world’s longest flight

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Emirates is set to launch the world’s longest non-stop flight, from Dubai to Panama City, in February.

The flight from the Gulf emirate to the capital of Panama will last 17 hours and 35 minutes, the airline said Thursday.

Currently Australian carrier Qantas holds the record for the longest flight, one that links Sydney with Dallas in just under 17 hours.

The daily flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-200LR in a 3-class layout — eight in First, 42 in Business, and 216 in Economy, the company said.

“Panama City will be our first destination gateway in Central America, providing a convenient option for our passengers travelling from or through our global hub in Dubai and onward to destinations throughout Central America, the Caribbean and the northern part of South America,” said Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum.

“We’re also pleased to be the only commercial airline to offer a daily, first-class service to travellers on what will be the world’s longest non-stop flight.”

Flight EK251 will depart Dubai at 08:05 and arrive in Panama City at 16:40 daily. The return flight, EK252, will leave Panama City at 22:10, arriving in Dubai at 22:55 the next day.

“It is gratifying to see how diplomatic efforts focused on generating development and prosperity for Panama materialize,” said Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, vice-president of Panama.

“New doors to the country will open with a direct connection to the Middle East — a strong and thriving region with great synergies to both Panama and Latin America.”

Emirates has 235 aircraft in its all wide-body fleet. The airline flies to 147 destinations in 81 countries.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and Tocumen International Airport.

Austrian quits ‘unsustainable’ Dubai

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Dubai is a hot destination for many airlines, but not so for Austrian Airlines. Not anymore.

The Lufthansa subsidiary announced Monday it will stop offering direct flights from Vienna to Dubai as of September in the wake of intense competition and price wars.

“Unfortunately, the Vienna-Dubai route has become unsustainable for us,” said CCO Andreas Otto.

Austrian, which began flying to Dubai in 1996, said up to 800 seats per day were on offer on the Vienna-Dubai route.

The last Austrian flight to Dubai will be on Sept. 13, returning home next day.

“The capacities which will become available will be deployed for attractive, new destinations, such as Miami, Mauritius and Colombo starting in October,” Otto said.

The image is courtesy of Austrian Airlines.

Emirates hits back in Open Skies battle

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Dubai’s Emirates airline has released a 400-page rebuttal to claims by three major U.S. airlines that it is enjoying an unfair advantage through state subsidies.

In a white paper issued in January, U.S. legacy airlines Delta, United and American had accused Emirates of receiving more than $6 billion in subsidies from the Dubai government.

On Tuesday, Emirates hit back.

“Their argument is nothing more than a mess of legal distortions and factual errors,” the U.A.E. national carrier said in the document posted on its website.

“What the legacy carriers want is protection from competition. Such protection would do irreparable harm to U.S. cities and airports, America’s world-leading aerospace industry, U.S. exports and jobs, U.S. air cargo carriers, and most of all, U.S. consumers, including passengers and shippers,” the document said.

“It would also undermine America’s leadership in international aviation — leadership that has made Open Skies the global template for air services.”

The document was also presented to U.S. officials in Washington by Emirates president Sir Tim Clark.

“The legacy carriers have received more than $100 billion in government support since 2002,” Clark told reporters after his meeting.

“In sum, there is no factual or legal justification for U.S. unilateral action against Emirates,” the document said.

“Such a step by the United States would seriously disadvantage other U.S. stakeholders, sound the death knell for Open Skies, and send a very negative signal about the value of U.S. trade, diplomatic, and security commitments,” the airline warned.

“For these reasons, the legacy carriers’ demands for protection should be firmly rejected.”

Images are courtesy of Emirates.

New Emirates A380: Sorry, no First Class

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All of the 13 airlines currently flying the Airbus A380 use aircraft with a three-class configuration, featuring First-, Business- and Economy-class cabins.

The world’s largest operator of the superjumbo is planning to change that with the introduction of a two-class A380 later this year.

Emirates is launching a daily service from Dubai to Copenhagen in December, using what it says is the world’s first two-class configured A380, which can carry up to 615 passengers.

But the down side is the new A380 will not have a First-Class cabin. Instead, it will have 58 seats in the Business Class and 557 in the Economy Class.

Emirates began flying to the Danish capital about four years ago, using an Airbus A330. A few months later, the airline switched to the bigger Boeing 777.

Tim Clark and Thomas Woldbye announce the A380 service.

“Today, based on strong load factors, we are happy to further up-gauge the route to our iconic double-decker, the A380,” said president Tim Clark.

As of December, the airline will offer more than 8,600 seats a week between Copenhagen and Dubai.

Emirates also noted that the aircraft would be more environmentally efficient than others, producing the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre of all commercial airplanes.

“Emirates is making history with this aircraft, its fuel efficiency is better than most modern small passenger cars in terms of fuel economy per passenger kilometre, allowing us to reduce emissions without compromising on comfort,” said Clark.

Meanwhile, the airport says it is investing heavily to make its infrastructure A380-compatible.

Copenhagen will be the first in Scandinavia to offer a scheduled A380 service.

“The increased capacity will hopefully stimulate more trade and tourism between Denmark and countries of the Middle East, Asia and Africa,” said Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports.

Emirates has 59 A380s in its fleet, operating from Dubai to more than 30 destinations worldwide. The airline has ordered a total of 140 superjumbos.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and Copenhagen Airport.

Study: Emirates has big impact on European economy

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As one of the world’s biggest travel shows opens in Berlin, Dubai’s Emirates airline has released a study suggesting its operations support more than 85,000 jobs in the European Union countries.

The study, by the consultancy Frontier Economics, also says the airline’s purchases of Airbus A380 superjumbos support an additional 41,00 jobs.

In all, the airline had a €10.2-billion impact on the EU GDP, Emirates quoted Frontier as saying. The study covered 2013-2014.

“Emirates is fully committed to the European market,” said Tim Clark, president of the airline.

“The relationship goes back to 1987 when we first started flying from Dubai to London Gatwick. Since then, we have witnessed growth based on demand and now operate over 350 passenger flights a week from Europe, providing global connectivity via our hub in Dubai.”

The Frontier analysis covered 28 cities served by Emirates in 16 EU states.

Emirates is among the thousands of companies showcasing their products and services at the 49th edition of ITB Berlin, which runs from March 4 until 8.

More than 10,000 exhibitors from 186 countries are participating in the show.

According to official estimates, deals worth €6.5 billion were concluded during last year’s show.

Images are courtesy of Emirates and ITB Berlin.

Dubai International soars to new heights

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Dubai’s main airport has become the busiest international passenger hub. Until now that honour belonged to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Official figures released Tuesday show passenger traffic at Dubai International soared to more than 70.4 million last year, up 6.1 per cent from 66.4 million the previous year.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum

“This historic milestone is the culmination of over five decades of double-digit average growth,” said Dubai Airports chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum.

“The shared goal is to make Dubai a global centre of aviation and we are nearing that goal thanks to an open skies policy, a friendly business environment, Dubai’s growing attractiveness as a centre for trade, commerce and tourism, growing network connectivity due to the rapid expansion of Emirates and flydubai and timely investment in aviation infrastructure.”

CEO Paul Griffiths said the rapid growth was expected to continue this year.

“Today we are also releasing our projections for 2015 traffic at Dubai International which forecast 79 million passengers,” he said.

“We will have more flights connecting more people to more destinations.”

Dubai also has a second airport, Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central.

Construction of the second phase of that airport is now underway.

Once completed, officials say, the airport will be able to handle 160 million passengers a year. It will also have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes of cargo.

Images are courtesy of Dubai Airports.

Emirates becomes the wide-body king

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Emirates is celebrating a major milestone.

The UAE national carrier now has the world’s largest wide-body aircraft with a fleet of 218 passenger jets and 14 freighters.

In 2014, the airline says, it added 13 Airbus A380s, 12 Boeing 777-300ERs and two Boeing 777 freighters to its fleet.

The aircraft included the 100^th Boeing 777-300ER and the 50^th Airbus A380.

The Dubai-based airline flies to nearly 150 destinations around the world, including Toronto, operating more than 3,500 flights per week.

Photo shows the airline’s 100th 777-300ER taking off from Everett, Wash., in October 2014. Courtesy: Boeing

The making of Emirates’ 50th A380

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Dubai’s Emirates airlines recently took delivery of its 50th Airbus A380. Here’s a video of the making of the aircraft, posted on YouTube by the airline, the world’s largest operator of the superjumbo.

Video courtesy: Emirates/YouTube

 

Qantas steals the Dallas show

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The Qantas A380. Qantas photo.

Qantas Airways has stolen the thunder from its partner Emirates by announcing that it will launch an Airbus A380 service to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) a couple of days before the world’s largest operator of the superjumbo does.

“Qantas customers travelling on the popular Sydney-Dallas/Fort Worth route will soon be able to enjoy the world’s largest passenger aircraft on the world’s longest route,” the Australian carrier said Wednesday.

The A380 will replace a Qantas Boeing 747 as of Sept. 29.

Models of the Emirates and Qantas A380s.

Emirates, which operate 47 superjumbos, announced early last month that its A380 service will begin Oct. 1.

That was supposed to be the first scheduled A380 service to the airport, where the airline had been operating a daily service since 2012, using a Boeing 777.

“On Oct. 1, the world’s largest passenger aircraft will touch down at DFW with a daily service between Dallas/Fort Worth, the world’s fourth busiest airport, and the city of Dubai (DXB),” the airline said in announcing the service.

“Dallas/Fort Worth will become the 28th international destination to which Emirates operates the aircraft, joining New York and Los Angeles which are already served by the A380.” Emirates also operates an A380 to Toronto, three times a week.

Qantas has been flying to the United States since 1954, when it operated a Super Constellation from Sydney to San Francisco, and to Dallas/Fort Worth since 2011.

“It is the hub for our partner American Airlines and offers more than 30 destinations beyond the west coast of the United States as well as parts of Canada and Mexico on their network,” said CEO Alan Joyce.

“When you combine the A380 with the onward connections available from Dallas, this is a great example of the right aircraft on the right route.”

Qantas will offer six flights a week to Dallas.