EMIRATES’ placed the single largest aircraft order in dollar value in Boeing’s history for an additional 50 777-300 ER aircraft, worth approximately $18 billion in list price. The order also included 20 777-300 ER options valued at $8 billion, for a total of 70 aircraft valued at $26 billion.
This record breaking long-range aircraft order adds to Emirates existing world’s largest fleet of 95 777s in service including nine 200 ERs, 10-200 LRs, 12 -300s, 61-300 ERs and three freighters. Emirates had 40 777-300 ERs already on the order books, so with today’s order that now stands at a firm order of 90 777-300 ERs.
The agreement was signed at last month’s Dubai Air Show in Dubai, UAE, by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline and Group, and Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The signing was also witnessed by Emirates senior executives, Tim Clark, president, Emirates airline and Adel Al Redha, Emirates executive vice president, Engineering and Operations as well as David Joyce, president and chief executive officer of GE Aviation, whose GE 90-115B engine will power the 777-300 ER aircraft.
“With 61 777 300-ERs currently in service, this record-breaking order... affirms our strategy to expand our long haul destinations and continue to excel as a world leading carrier, connecting the world to Dubai and beyond,” said Sheikh Ahmed.
The 777-300ER will be operated in a three-class configuration with eight First Class suites, 42 Business Class seats and 310 Economy Class seats and offers an additional cargo payload of 20.1 tonnes.
Emirates remains on its strong growth trajectory which over the past seven years has seen the airline grow from a fleet of 60 aircraft in 2004, to its current 161 wide-bodied aircraft including, the largest fleet of A380s with 17 and the largest fleet of Boeing 777s with 93.
The airline continues to expand its global footprint, having launched Geneva, Copenhagen and St. Petersburg since April 2011 and will continue with eight additional new route launches including Baghdad last month and Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Harare, Lusaka, Dallas, Seattle and Dublin in early 2012.
In the first-half of its financial year 2011-12, Emirates posted strong business growth, both in terms of capacity on offer and traffic carried while making net profit of Dh827 million ($225 million). Capacity measured in available seat kilometres (ASKM), grew by 8.2 per cent, whilst passenger traffic carried measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKM) was up 5.7 per cent with Passenger Seat Factor sustained at a high level, averaging 79.3 per cent despite the growth in capacity, slightly below last year’s record for a six month reporting period of 81.2 per cent.
Emirates revenue, including other operating income, of Dh30.3 billion ($8.3 billion) was higher by 15 per cent compared with Dh26.4 billion ($7.2 billion) recorded last year, largely reflecting improved passenger and cargo yields based on increased fuel prices.