Due to new bilateral agreement between Philippine and UAE EK will add a third daily flight to MNL from 1st January

other updates see below:
Emirates W12 Operation Changes as of 26SEP12 | Airline Route – Worldwide Airline Route Updates

Looks like a few A340-300 will stay in the summer 2013.

There will be 7 A380 and 5 B77W to be delivered until the end of this year and EK wants up to 40 more A380
UPDATE 1-Emirates Airline's Clark says wants more Airbus A380s | Reuters

1st December
DXB-LED A343 > B773
aircraft swap: DXB-GIG-EZE B77W > B77L <-> DXB-LAX B77L > B77W
3rd December DXB-KUL +4/7, 4th February +1/7 (26 weekly in total)
10th December DXB-HKT will be launched with A343 instead of A332
1st January DXB-MNL +7/7 (3 daily B77W in total)
1st March DXB-CGK +7/7 (3 daily B77W in total)

planned resumption to TIP cancelled

Emirates tie in with Easijet
 

Received this from EK Skywards:

Dear ----------------,

We are excited to welcome easyJet as our new airline partner, bringing you many new reward destinations in Europe and North Africa.

From 6 November 2012, for as little as 7,500* Skywards Miles you can travel even further across Europe, using easyJet's extensive network. Just one Economy Class return trip# with Emirates from United Kingdom to Australia, New Zealand or the Far East can earn you enough Miles for a reward flight from London Luton to Alicante or Geneva and many more.

You can use your Miles to pay for the flight inclusive of taxes, charges and airport fees as well as for optional extras such as sports equipment.

As a special launch offer, you could win back up to 25,000 Miles, if yours is one of the first 30 easyJet tickets to be redeemed using Skywards Miles. Terms and Conditions apply.

So are Emirates desperate.?

EasiJet tie in
 

Dear Mr -----------------------------------------------,

We are excited to welcome easyJet as our new airline partner, bringing you many new reward destinations in Europe and North Africa.

From 6 November 2012, for as little as 7,500* Skywards Miles you can travel even further across Europe, using easyJet's extensive network. Just one Economy Class return trip# with Emirates from United Kingdom to Australia, New Zealand or the Far East can earn you enough Miles for a reward flight from London Luton to Alicante or Geneva and many more.

You can use your Miles to pay for the flight inclusive of taxes, charges and airport fees as well as for optional extras such as sports equipment.

As a special launch offer, you could win back up to 25,000 Miles, if yours is one of the first 30 easyJet tickets to be redeemed using Skywards Miles. Terms and Conditions apply.

The Arabs are conquering everything within a 100 light years of them these days.

EK and U2
 

Looks like these carriers have got their eyes on the many young Aussies and Kiwis who go travelling, turn up in the UK, sometimes on a 2 year work permit, and visit as much of Europe as they can during their time here.

Possibly linked to the upcoming EK/QF JSA?

Why do they suggest Luton legs on EZY, why do they not state LGW, is there something implied here???

Emirates to buy 100 777s if Boeing builds new model
 

Anyone knows what it is Emirates is unhappy with regarding the 350-1000 ? And to what extent the 340 is a "disaster" for them ??

Emirates and Qatar have told Airbus that the A350-1000 should be bigger - in terms of pax count. Currently it will have 350 seats in three classes and Airbus say will reduce per seat fuel burn compared to the current 777-300ER by 20%. Airbus also say that the stretched 777 will need a longer wing which will preclude it from using current widebody twin gates - confining it to 747 / A380 gates unless Boeing incorporate a wing fold mechanism (which Boeing are indeed looking at). On the other hand, Boeing's view is that with 407 three class seats and brand-new engines the 777-9X will "render the A350-1000 obsolete before it flies" and will have lower smcs than the A380. Their view is that airports will find a way to accommodate the aircraft because airlines will demand that they do.

The are unhappy with it, because it's a Bus that's why

"Obsolete before it flies"
 

I propose this as the new Airbus company slogan. So pithy, so true.

What is wrong with the existing 777-300ER? I presume they are looking for seat cost savings akin to the 787 over its predecessors?

"The are unhappy with it, because it's a Bus that's why"

yeah I think that was the tactic all along, they gave us a clue with a bus in the name and now the second one with the standing seats idea :}

If there wasn't the threat of the A350 I expect Boeing would have been more than happy to build the current -300ER unchanged for years to come - must be a fantastic cash cow by now. If Airbus can deliver a 20% reduction in fuel burn per seat - and presumably a reduction in maintenance costs too - compared to the 777-300ER, then the 777-8X and 9X must at least match that so, yes, the new model will deliver the same order of improvement that the 787 has delivered compared to the 767.

On that basis I am surprised that they are not developing the 778 and 779 already. Resting on one's laurels is never the best business strategy in this industry!

Airbus slipping the in-service date of the A350-1000 by two years to 2018 gave them a breathing space a) to re-build the R&D war chest following 787 and 748 development and b) to see what the engine manufacturers could do given a few more years. With the additional time and resources they can comtemplate a brand-new carbon wing and brand-new engines (as opposed to further developments of the GE90 and/or Trent). In-service date is now 2020 at the earliest and possibly a bit later i.e. at least two to three years behind the -1000 but Boeing reckon they will have another generation of engine technology which, with the new wing, will ensure Emirates and others will wait for. It also lets them complete what they see as the greater priorities of 737 MAX development and stretch of the 787 to the 787-10 ahead of re-doing the 777.

A340-500 vs B777-300ER

4 engines vs 2 engines (4 engines: higher costs)
258 seats vs 360 seats (more seats per flight)
15,000 kg freight vs 23,000 kg freight (more freight per flight)

And there is also the B777-200LR (2 engines, 266 seats, 15,000 kg freight)for ultra-long distance flights.

EK launched 15 new destination in 2012:
GIG, EZE, DUB, LUN, HRE, DFW, SEA, SGN, BCN, LIS, EBL, IAD, ADL, LYS, HKT

11 A380 + 18 B77W were delivered to EK this year - EK has 31 A380 + 82 B77W in total now

WAW and ALG already announced and rumour has it ARN, BOS and MIA to be launched in 2013, too

All 5 LHR-flights op. by A380 + NRT, AMS, MEL, SIN and DME joined the A380 network this year.

First A343 left the fleet and the last 4 to be retired at the end of 2013 joined by some A332 and A345.

Concourse A at DXB to be opened in early 2013 bringing the total capacity to 75 mln passenger.
Press releases

QF will transfer its flights to LHR from SIN to DXB eff. 31st March:
SYD-DXB-LHR daily A380 + MEL-DXB-LHR daily A380


2013

1st January
RUH +7/7 (4 daily in total)
MNL +7/7 B77W (3 daily B77W (all 2-class) in total)
EBL +1/7 (6 weekly A332 in total)
JFK B77W > A380 (2 daily A380 in total)
CDG B77W > A380 (2 daily A380 + 5 weekly B77W in total)
GLA A343 > B77W (2 daily B77W in total)
ACC-ABJ A345 > B77W
JED A332 > B77W (2 daily A380 + daily B77W in total)
VCE A343 > A332 (daily A343 + daily A332 in total)
IST B772 > B77W (2-class) (11 weekly B77W in total)

1st February
KUL +1/7 (26 weekly in total)
SEZ +1/7 (13 weekly in total)
ADL +3/7 (daily B77W in total)
PEW +2/7 (5 weekly in total)
CPH B77W (3-class) > B77W (2-class)
LUN-HRE A332 > B77W
IAD B77L > B77W
HAM B77W > B77L (daily B77W + daily B77L in total)
LIS B772 > B77L
DAR A345 > B77W (2-class)
LCA-MLA A343 > B772
CPT B77W > A343 (double daily A343 in total)
NBO A343 > A345 (daily B772 + daily A345 in total)

6th February
new: WAW daily A332

1st March
new: ALG daily A332
CGK +7/7 (3 daily B77W (all 2-class) in total)
PER +2/7 (2 daily B77W + daily B77L in total)
BKK B77W (2-class) > B77W (3-class) (daily A380 + 2 daily B77W + daily B773 in total)
HKG A343 > B77W (11 weekly A380 + 10 weekly B77W in total)
DME A345 > B77W (daily A380 + daily B77W in total)
VCE A343 > A345 (daily A345 + daily A332 in total)

31st March
KUL +2/7 (daily A380 + daily B77W + daily B773 + daily A332 in total)
DAC +2/7 (3 daily in total)
CDG +1/7 (double daily A380 + 6 weekly B77W in total)
LED B773 > A345

I have noticed a major gap in their future fleet, once they withdraw the A330s (without a direct replacement), EK faces a major gap in their fleet, they will not operate an aircraft smaller than a 777-200ER/LR or Airbus A350-900, not good if they want to have a flexible fleet (you need aircraft of all sizes, whatever the airline, the only difference being what your biggest aircraft) and limits the number of routes that EK can operate (not all routes to DXB can sustain large wide-bodied)

So if EK want to serve as many markets as possible (remember, their location is one of the best in terms of serving the emerging world) profitably, its need to obtain smaller aircraft (like its rivals EY and QR) like 787s/A330s and 737s/A320s

However FlyDubai (which has the same owners as EK) already operates smaller aircraft and so does Eithad (in fact aircraft of all sizes) which is basically a sister airline, since it its owned by the sister emirate to Dubai (both families have close relations with each other, as well as part of the same country), weirdly both EK and EY have (at least in the past) ambitions to be the national carrier of the UAE

At the same time Dubai is building a new airport in Jebel Ali (Al Maktoum International Airport-DWC), which is not only vast, but also close enough (via HSR, which I am sure both emirates could afford) to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi

What I am suggesting is that Emirates should merge with FlyDubai and Eithad to form the “new” Emirates based in DWC (with DXB and AUH both being shut down), an airline that can finally claim to serve the UAE and to be dominant in a fast growing region (aviation wise) well ahead of QR, certainly a better idea than EY funding Air Berlin, despite its poor financial prospects…