Emirates announces expansion plans
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Emirates Airline has announced plans to increase its routes and flight frequencies in 2009. This year the Dubai-based carrier will add 18 new passenger aircraft to its fleet, increasing seating capacity by 14%.
Emirates currently has a fleet of 129 wide-bodied aircraft. By the end of the current financial year, ending on 31 March, that figure will stand at 132, including four Airbus A380s. The carrier plans to take delivery of another seven A380s in the 2009-10 fiscal year, as well as an additional 10 Boeing 777-300ERs and one 777-200LR.
“The next year is not going to be an easy ride for the airline industry. Emirates has prepared the best we can for the challenges we foresee, but we also see it as a time of opportunity. 2009, with our significant capacity increase, will be a year of consolidation for us, with fewer new routes launched than in previous years,” said Emirates’ Chairman & CEO, Sheikh Ahmad bin Saeed al Maktoum, adding that the Middle East and Africa will be key areas of expansion.
Emirates has already announced plans to launch services to Durban, South Africa, from 1 October, while the carrier will launch new A380 services to Seoul and Singapore in November and December respectively. Services to both Los Angeles and San Francisco, launched late last year, will go daily from May.
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