But in fairness to other countries with higher limits, they only use them as an upper limit, not as a TARGET!
In addition, they calculate hours differently, such as 'on chocks plus 30 minutes' for example. As well, block times for most airlines around the world are a more accurate reflection of true flight times, which is not the case at EK. And... although I'm not certain of this one... I believe simulator time counts towards total time, which is not the case at EK.
And the final two points is that MOST airlines enter into agreements with their unions on practical and enforced FTL's which are tailored to the particular operation and always less than the regulatory maximums. Also, there is very little consideration at EK when it comes to time zone crossings especially when doing east versus west flights as well as the mimimal effort and accomodation afforded pilots with respect to crew rest facilities or seating arrangements on long haul flights.