Dubai Airshow 2021: Emirates to reintroduce 60 A380s by end of year

Emirates, the largest customer of the Airbus A380, plans to reinstate more of its double-deckers by the end of 2021 and expects continued growth in the second half of its fiscal year, the airline's chairman said.

The airline will return more than 60 of its A380s to the skies, up from 47 superjumbos currently in operation, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and group, said at a media briefing at the Dubai Airshow on Monday.

Emirates has gradually been restoring its fleet of 118 superjumbos that was grounded last year by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The airline recorded operating profit in October for the first time since the onset of the pandemic amid a rebound in passenger travel demand and a strong performance from its freight business.

October was a “positive month for Emirates, it was better than expected and I see that is going to continue”, Sheikh Ahmed said.

Emirates has been engaged in “positive” talks with Boeing regarding the delivery time and supply chain for the 777X programme, Sheikh Ahmed said.

“It is positive, it is good, maybe there are certain things I cannot really say at the moment because still we are in that process,” he said. “But I can say it is positive. We [will] focus on the programme delivery.”

Asked whether the airline would also consider a proposed freighter version of the 777X, Sheikh Ahmed declined to comment as discussions with the US plane manufacturer are ongoing.

Emirates also has Airbus A350s on order and Sheikh Ahmed did not rule out potential interest in Airbus's new A350 freighter version.

Dubai AirShow 2021 Day 2 — in pictures

Cargo constitutes about 30 per cent of Emirates' total revenue and the airline has a large capacity in the belly hold of its all-wide-body fleet.

When asked whether the airline would consider expediting its A350 deliveries if uncertainty persists around the 777X delivery dates, Sheikh Ahmed said Emirates has been in discussions with Airbus regarding its A350 order.

“We've been in good, positive meetings with Boeing on the 777X programme and to be sure on the delivery date and also on the Airbus today with A350. So, we would be talking about what we can expedite. We have many scenarios [to look at]," he said, without elaborating.

Upon being asked if state-owned Emirates could be among the 10 government entities that Dubai plans to list on its bourse, Sheikh Ahmed said: “We have successful businesses within the group that can be [listed].

“We are one of the companies that are owned by the government of Dubai, which announced Dewa and Salik will be the first in the programme. I am sure that the committee headed by Sheikh Maktoum [bin Mohammed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance] would be announcing that in the [coming] days and weeks, so they would be the right people to answer which company.”

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Dubai Airshow 2021: Emirates to reintroduce 60 A380s by end of year

Airline expects continued growth in second half of fiscal year after returning to profitability in October

Dubai AirShow 2021 Day 2 — in pictures

Some of Darwish's last words

Living in...

Labour dispute

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