Emirates, one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, has just taken delivery of the first of its fleet of 30 new Boeing 777-300ERs (Extended Range.) Part of an unprecedented US $30 billion fleet expansion programme, the arrival of the new airliner at Dubai airport marks the start of an intense and unprecedented delivery cycle of 100 pending orders that will see the Emirates fleet grow at an average rate of one new aircraft per month through 2012.
Emirates has 30 Boeing 777-300ERs currently on firm order and will receive 10 of them by the end of 2005. Its order book also includes 45 Airbus A380s - one-third of the total firm orders taken so far by Airbus for the new double-decker superjumbo - 20 Airbus A340-600HGWs, two A340-500s and three A310-300 freighters.
The newest addition to the Emirates’ fleet was handed over to the airline last Friday at a ceremony in Seattle, Washington state, U.S.A., attended by Emirates’ Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum and other senior Emirates executives, and Boeing’s Chairman and CEO Alan Mulally. The aircraft later took off on its maiden voyage to Dubai and completed the flight from the Pacific coast of the U.S.A. in just under 14 hours.
Emirates’ fleet already included 21 Boeing 777s, a number set to grow to 51 by late 2007, making Emirates one of the largest 777 operators in the world.
The new 777-300ER will be used primarily to provide extra capacity on existing long-range services such as Manila, Bangkok, Sydney and Auckland. Sheikh Ahmed said: “The 777-300ER is an economically sound option for us to meet the growing customer demand for more Emirates capacity on long-haul routes. Our trust in the 777 family stems from the proven performance and reliability of those aircraft already in operation in the Emirates fleet. Our passengers also appreciate its interior roominess, which enhances the on-board service that Emirates is known for.”
The new 777-300ER fleet will incorporate a combination of two- and three-class configurations. The three-class aircraft will have a total of 364 seats - 12 in First Class, 42 in Business and 310 in Economy - while carrying up to 23 tonnes of freight.
The two-class aircraft, with 427 seats, will offer 42 in Business Class and 385 in Economy, and will be able to carry up to 16.7 tonnes of freight. The First Class cabin, served by four cabin crew, will offer passengers roomy, state-of-the-art sleeper seats with fully flat beds. They also incorporate a personal mini-bar, an electronically operated privacy partition and a 19 inch LCD monitor on which passengers can enjoy Emirates’ unique Information, Communications and Entertainment system.
ICE and its multitude of entertainment, email and SMS options which include 500 channels of video, audio and games on demand, also are available to passengers traveling in either Business or Economy Class.
Business Class offers passengers comfortable sleeperette seats with a pitch of up to 60 inches and an adjustable winged head-rest with six-way movement. Economy passengers can enjoy more comfort than ever with roomy cabins, 34 inch seat pitch, adjustable footrests and headrests.
In another first for Emirates, the new Boeing 777-300ER is the first to emblazon the airline’s logo on the underside of all of its fleet. The distinctive logo - the Emirates name in white on a red field - is nearly 12 metres long, with the initial letter 'E' standing 2.3 metres tall, complementing the existing golden branding on each side of the fuselage.
It is meant to literally underline outwardly what the carrier’s customers know the moment they step into its aircraft: Emirates is an airline different from any other.
