Latest from "local" Middle East papers:
"Emirates airline plans to buy up to 60 new wide-body aircraft worth $10 billion and is negotiating with Airbus and Boeing, the Arabic daily Al-Hayat reported yesterday. However, any deal with Airbus may be affected by differences between Emirates and France over the carrier's traffic rights to Paris, the newspaper said, quoting informed sources.
The London-based daily quoted Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation and chairman of Emirates Group, as telling it: "We usually don't comment on these issues, but we are not happy with the French position and we want the rights to at least daily flights to Paris."
Al-Hayat said Sheikh Ahmed hinted the dispute may have affected relations with Airbus, which is 80 per cent owned by European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co NV and 20 per cent by British defence contractor BAE Systems Plc.
"We were thinking of buying more Airbus A380s, but we decided to put that on the side until matters are clear," he said. Emirates has seven A380s on order and was the first airline to sign a firm deal for the giant 555-seat aircraft, which are scheduled to enter service in 2006.
Mike Simon, director of corporate relations at Emirates, said: "We do not wish to comment on negotiations with Airbus," adding that the French had so far refused Emirates' request for daily flights to Paris instead of the current three flights a week.
Asked about Al-Hayat's report on the plans to buy 60 new planes, Simon said: "We do plan to increase the fleet and will be discussing with both Airbus and Boeing new acquisitions". "We plan a substantial increase in the size of the fleet in the next 10 years," he added, but would not elaborate.
Sheikh Ahmed said Emirates Group Managing Director Maurice Flanagan was in Seattle for talks with Boeing officials on the proposed Sonic Cruiser. "We are interested in the Boeing Delta supersonic... I sent Maurice Flanagan to Seattle last week to meet Boeing officials and I will go to Seattle next month for the same purpose because we are very curious to know this new type (of aircraft) and are interested in buying it," he said.
He said the talks also include buying more 777 aircraft. Al-Hayat quoted sources as saying that Emirates was looking at another 20 to 30 Boeing 777s and that some deal could be announced at the Paris air show next month.
Sheikh Ahmed told the newspaper that Emirates was planning to double its fleet after instructions from General Sheikh Moh-ammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, to increase the fleet to 100 planes by 2010 from the current 35.
"Our estimates show the number of passengers through Dubai airport will reach 14 million this year rising to 55 million by 2010. Of those we will carry about 65 per cent or about 30 million passengers a year, which justifies increasing the seat and operational capacity of our fleet," Sheikh Ahmed added.