Emirates to Order More Than 12 Planes

[Boeing 777-300ER]

Bloomberg

Emirates, the biggest Arab airline, plans to order more than 12 planes to meet rising demand, Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Sheikh+Ahmed+bin+Saeed+al-Maktoum&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1) said.
Passenger traffic at Dubai Airport surged 17 percent in January after growing by 9.2 percent in 2009, which “will push us to buy more aircraft,” Sheikh Ahmed said in an interview at his office at the airport’s Terminal 1 building in Dubai today. “I know that we announced something like 10 to 12 aircraft, but we are maybe looking at more than that number.”
Emirates said in November it would order about 11 new planes and was looking at models from Boeing Co. (http://www.pprune.org/apps/quote?ticker=BA%3AUS) and Airbus SAS.
The carrier, the biggest customer for Airbus’ A380 superjumbo with an original order of 58, has also ordered 70 A350s. The airline’s fleet has risen from 131 to 145 since March last year, including eight A380s, it said March 9.
Air traffic in the Middle East grew 11.2 percent in 2009, one of only two regions to post growth amid the industry’s worst slump, the International Air Transport Association (http://www.iata.org/index.htm) said. Latin American passenger traffic grew 0.3 percent.
Emirates will sell shares in an initial public offering “one day,” although the timing of the sale will be decided by the government and subject to market conditions, Sheikh Ahmed said. It will take the carrier about nine to 12 months to complete preparations for an IPO when the government decides to sell shares in the company, he said.

[Voodoo 3]

That's all well and good to order these new planes but then they also need crews to fly them both front and back. From what I've been reading on others threads in this forum and looking at those management videos :ok:, they seem to running on min crew as it is and by some accounts the recent recruitment drive hasn't brought in the numbers they were expecting!

[CAYNINE]

Yup, looking forward to a very interesting year. 1000hrs a year? Contract pilots? More factoring?

[blues deville]

Perhaps in the future EK will have to consider outbasing flight crews around their route network and not just DXB.

bd :cool:

[behramjee]

It will most likely be an order for either 12 B 777-300ERs or 4 Boeing 777-200LRs + 8 Boeing 777-300ERs.

[40&80]

Impressive part of the expected massive widow dressing leading up to the one day I.P.O.
I can imagine managers are praying that their thrashing of the crews does not sour this I.P.O. with a fatal crash before their big pay day.
EK track record does not have to be a bigger copy of the Gulf Air track record.

[fatbus]

A330-300's

[moamoa]

Fatbus you are right..A330-300.

[Toruk Macto]

Been involved in a couple of companies while they posistion to sell themselves and its clasic what's happening to EK. It's all about bottom line, screw cost down (T&C's),reduce staff, increase revenue & destinations (A/C orders) and SELL. After the sale it usually gets better, hang in there!:)

[Mr Good Cat]

Perhaps in the future EK will have to consider outbasing flight crews around their route network and not just DXB.

Will never, ever, ever happen...

Outstations means local contracts according to the laws of that country = no slave labour = no unjust sackings = no FTL cheating = higher costs = less flexibility...

This is the reason they didn't keep hold of the major shareholding in Sri Lankan Airlines.

[littlejet]

Asian Carriers usually give out so called "Extended Layover" and advertise as "Foreign Bases". Basically they work you to the max for 18-20 days and then schedule you to deadhead or operate to the selected layover point. No foreign contract, no labor laws abiding. To them you are just laying over for extended period which happen to be close to your home and you have chosen to cancel the hotel.
You usually have no control over the allocation of your days off and the roster patterns and have to agree that they can sometimes allocate your annual leave days here or there to satisfy the schedule. And of course no perdiems on the Extended Layover.
Basically works fine for everybody, money still stays in the operators country and you still work there. The question is consecutive days scheduling and nothing else.
Some carriers even offer 5 on 3 off or 7-5 or whatever....
It is possible

[Fart Master]

Of course it's possible, but unfortunately there would be an upsurge in morale, therefore it won't happen:ok:

[behramjee]

Fatbus you are right..A330-300.

The reason why I didnt say A 333 is because remember last year EK placed a big MOU for 30 A 333s with Airbus as a "capacity bridge aircraft" to fully replace its A 332 fleet before the A 359s get delivered. I read online 2 months ago, that apparently the MOU EK had with Airbus for the A 333s got canceled hence.

The reason why I said B 77Ls and B 77Ws is because EK is interested in launching more ULH destinations for which these 2 aircraft come in handy. These include MIA, ORD, EZE as well as increasing MEL capacity from A 345s to B 77Ws.

[InnocentBystander]

Not sure why they would order more 77L's
We have 10 and only use (need) them on LAX.

And IAH. Also MIA would need the 2LR.

[twieke]

A333's, not to replace A332's but extra.

[BigGeordie]

The 332s are looking pretty tired in the cabin now. They either need to be refittted or replaced farily soon.

[twieke]

Very true, but still good enough for some of the :mad: places we fly to.

[ATCO1962]

Oh, goodie!! 12 more planes to put in the BUBIN hold at 4am! :}

[Pitch Up Authority]

It is a political move not an economical one. EK wants to grow in the USA.

This way they will find more American pilots too.

[fatbus]

Pitch, i would not count on more(large number) US pilots anytime soon, and if the new planes are A333's then what ?

[Alconguin Crusader]

Forget about the expansion to the USA. The FAA put EK on a watch list and can not fly to anymore destinations until Emirates cleans up it's act. They are on catergory 2.
So keep up the phone calls to the FAA and tell them about the factoring and the 95 hour rosters. Don't forget to mention about the two FOs to JFK

[fatbus]

nice try but the FAA approved the GCAA

[Alconguin Crusader]

The FAA approved the GCAA years ago and as we all know things have changed in the sand box. I can't explain the catergories in any detail but it was told to me that the FAA reduced Emirates from a 3 which means you can fly to/from as you please but now EK is a 2 which means they have to apply for any new destinations and the FAA is not allowing that.
I have no idea how the system works and why Emirates was downgraded but they were most definitely downgraded. ORD is on the cards but not until they reach the coveted catergory 3.
It is important to tell the FAA about how EK operates.

[cadidalhopper]

Not important to tell them if you wish to overnight in ORD....

[guiones]

You have it backwards AC, Category 1 is the normal operating category, no issues; Category 3 is the worst that puts limitations on your expansion into the US.

And this is not a rating for the airline, it is a rating for the local civil aviation authority. Their capacity to oversee their airlines on all technical areas. It affects all airlines for the country, it is not airline specific.

G