I know the UAE is swimming with oil money, but how the hell can any sensible airline justify the purchase of 275 B777s?! Its crazy. Its just not economically viable... is it?
Only eight airlines on the planet have a TOTAL fleet size above 275.
Abu Dhabi may be swimming with oil money, but Dubai most definitely is not... They have almost NO natural resources hence the reason the city is marketing itself as a tourist and business hub.
Emirates is not the national airline of the UAE and is not owned by the government of the UAE. It is financed by a combination of the Dubai royal family and good business.
This myth about endless oil money being used just to make the biggest order for one's image is getting rather old now... Emirates aircfraft are nearly always full and I'm sure if they could get more aircraft more quickly they would, knowing that they could make even more money to fund the expansion plans.
