Wednesday 04 / December / 2024
Dubai: One of the largest airlines in the world, Emirates plans to introduce A350-900 in the Dubai-Muscat route soon.
Speaking to Times of Oman on the sidelines of the official inauguration of Emirates’ first A350-900 in Dubai, UAE, Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates, said: “There are a lot of things going on at the moment and Emirates is in an expansionist mode. We’ve got an awful lot of work to do over the next 10 or 15 years.”
The first of the 65 Airbus A350-900 in order to join the Emirates fleet was unveiled at an exclusive event showcase in Dubai Airport.
The first scheduled flight on this aircraft type will be to Edinburgh on January 3, 2025.
In the months to follow, customers can look forward to experiencing the Emirates A350 in existing GCC points like Bahrain, Muscat and Kuwait, Lyon and Bologna in Europe, and Colombo, Mumbai and Ahmedabad in West Asia in addition to new travel opportunities that are up to 15 hours from Dubai– to be announced in 2025.
The Emirates A350 features three spacious cabin classes, accommodating 312 passengers in 32 next-generation business class lie-flat seats, 21 premium economy seats and 259 generously pitched economy class seats.
The latest onboard products reflect the airline’s commitment to delivering a premium passenger experience while optimising operational efficiency.
The Emirates A350 is the first new aircraft type to join Emirates’ fleet since 2008.
Sir Tim Clark also hinted that Emirates wanted to scale up the India operations but couldn’t do so because of the current agreement. “The big constraint is the size of our aircraft given the number of seats we are allowed to use. So, we’re having to mix and match. Sometimes we put an aircraft and are not allowed to sell some of the seats,” Sir Clark said, adding that the airline’s demand for a doubling of seat capacity between Dubai and India as the travel demand had tripled in this market since 2015 when the agreement was last drawn.
He said there should be 1,40,000 seats permitted by the airlines on both sides instead of the current 65,000 seats.
On the non availability of the aircraft in the market hampering expansion plans, Sir Clark said Emirates was a “frustrated entity” and finds its “wings clipped” during an expansionist phase due to the Covid-19 supply chain issues and delays in the deliveries of Boeing 777-9s. “We need airplanes, and we need them now,” he said.
The airline, he said, has been held back by the aftermath of COVID and supply chain disruptions, leading to a delay in aircraft deliveries. “As you know, we’ve had our wings clipped because of COVID and supply chain delays. We are a frustrated entity because we need airplanes, and we need them like now,” Clark commented.
Emirates had originally planned to receive more aircraft by this point, particularly the Boeing 777X, which would have allowed them to take delivery of 85 new planes by now. However, with the arrival of the A350s, Clark said that the airline is focused on ramping up its network and growing, though not necessarily at a rate beyond what they had originally planned.
With the airline now poised for rapid growth, Clark also addressed Emirates’ financial position. He made it clear that the airline does not need external funding at this point, ruling out plans to raise money through a sukuk or bond. “We have plenty of money,” he said, offering reassurance as the airline focuses on expanding its fleet and operations.
