ABU DHABI // The Boeing 777 has been described by Emirates as "the backbone of our fleet". The airline is the world's biggest operator of Boeing's 777 models, and is the only airline to fly all six of the 777's different variants.
It currently flies 157 Boeing 777s to 109 destinations around the world.
Emirates took delivery of its 150th Boeing 777 in September last year, when three of the planes were delivered to the airline on the same day. At the time, the company said that it had another 46 of the Boeing 777-300ER models on order.
Emirates has flown more than 226 million passengers on Boeing 777s since 2004. It placed its first order for the plane in 1992, and took its first delivery in June 1996. It has subsequently placed record-breaking orders with Boeing for 777s in 2011, when it ordered 50 of the 777-300ER versions of the plane at the Dubai Airshow. It then broke its own record at the 2013 airshow, when it placed an order for a further 150 777s.
When it took delivery of its 150th Boeing 777 last year, the president of Emirates airline, Sir Tim Clark, said: “We have enjoyed a strong and long-standing relationship with Boeing on the 777 programme. As the world’s largest 777 operator, our multi-billion dollar commitment to the programme continues to support jobs and innovation across the aerospace manufacturing supply chain.”
As well as the Boeing 777s, Emirates also flies 81 of the double-decker Airbus A380 aircraft.
The company was due to retire 26 aircraft this year, nine of which were Boeing 777s and 17 of which were older models of Airbus planes. It was also due to take delivery of 36 new planes - 16 of which were Boeing 777-300ERs and 20 were Airbus A380s.
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