EMIRATES COURTS PASSENGERS WITH MORE A380 DESTINATIONS
(Posted 04th June 2014)
Frankfurt will be the next Airbus A380 destination for Emirates, presently the largest operator world wide of this aircraft type. The announcement came just days after the airline had revealed that they were expecting the 50th such aircraft to be delivered from Airbus.
From the sidelines of the just concluded IATA Annual General Meeting in Doha it was also learned that Emirates’ President Tim Clarke suggested that the airline could order another 100 such aircraft types if Airbus could launch an A380Neo with improved fuel burn and better operating economics.
With some 140 such aircraft on order from Airbus this comment will no doubt provide a mighty incentive to the European aircraft manufacturer to start working on this new project but it is mainly for passengers in the immediate future, not 6 to 8 years from now, that the continued delivery of such giant aircraft will be of interest.
Said a regular source close to the airline: ‘The commitment to order that many A380 aircraft is now seen by many as a genius decision. It is one of the big secrets behind the phenomenal growth Emirates has enjoyed over the past years. The airline has a dedicated terminal in Dubai just to handle the A380 which makes flying with this aircraft very special for passengers. They know they are getting something extra, something special other airlines cannot offer. And the more A380 arrive, the more destinations will come on line. Frankfurt cannot be reached from Emirates’ East African destinations with nonstop flights, so every competitor has to fly through at least one stop enroute but come September Emirates will be the only airline to fly passengers from East Africa to Frankfurt by using wide body aircraft on both sectors and the A380 into Frankfurt. Passengers who fly with us from Nairobi, Entebbe and Dar simply love to be on this aircraft type’.
It is generally accepted in aviation circles in East Africa that offering wide body aircraft comfort on all their flights gives Emirates a competitive advantage over those other airline which fly to their hubs in the Gulf or in Turkey using narrow body aircraft, if for nothing else but the perception to get better value. Competition clearly has its advantages for passengers, for both fares and inflight comfort.
Meanwhile it was also learned that Emirates will commence additional flights to Karachi, serving the Pakistani commercial capital six times a day from 01st of August. Watch this space for breaking and regular aviation news.
