'Emirates Airline' (shortened form: 'Emirates') (
Arabic: الإمارات''al-ImÄrÄt'') is an
airline based in
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the Middle East's largest airline and it operates scheduled passenger services, with nearly 2350 flights each week, serving 92 cities in 59 countries in
Europe,
North America,
Middle East,
Africa,
India,
Asia-Pacific and the competitive "
kangaroo route" between
Europe and
Oceania. Cargo activities are undertaken under the
Emirates SkyCargo name. Its main base is
Dubai International Airport[1].
More than 50 per cent of all flight movements in and out of
Dubai International Airport are Emirates aircraft. By 2010, that figure is expected to rise to 70 per cent. Emirates' route portfolio of 92 destinations in 59 countries is expanding. During the 2006/07 financial year, Emirates carried 17.5 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo.
[2]
Emirates has built up a strong
brand, has received many awards, and is an industry bellwether for aircraft purchases.
[3] as a trendsetter
[4] in terms of service, innovation and safety. In addition, it is the 10th largest airline in Asia and ranked 9th in the world in terms of international passengers carried.
[5]
Emirates has become the largest carrier within the
Middle East region. By mid-2006, Emirates was serving 18 cities in the Middle East with 175 flights a week. Emirates, which hopes to take delivery of
Airbus A380 super jumbos in 2008, also invested Dh73 million to expand its crew training facility at the Emirates Training Centre. In order to serve its expanding operations the airline has been hiring new cabin crew at a rate of 80 per week, due to rise to 160 per week as larger aircraft, like the A380 will need more crew.
The airline has diversified into
ground handling, aviation engineering, air
catering, and
travel tour marketing.
Strong growth potential in
air freight operations prompted the setting up of a separate subsidiary,
Emirates SkyCargo, which leased the entire freighter fleet from Emirates and manages the cargo holds in all existing Emirates aircraft.
The airline forecasts that its fleet will comprise at least 180 aircraft by 2010 when it is expected to
serve 130 destinations and carry some 26 million passengers. Emirates will have 54
Boeing 777-300ERs by 2011, making it
the single largest aircraft type in fleet. Emirate’s impressive growth is built on the airline’s successful strategy and financed from profits and commercial borrowing. Emirates, with a 70 per cent share of all new Middle Eastern orders for
long-haul aircraft,
plans to triple its capacity over the next eight years.
Emirates receives one or two aircraft every month.By the End of 2008, it would have received 29 new aircraft to ugrade it's fleet to 137 aircraft. Emirates hopes to have 180 aircraft by 2010. If Emirates meets this target, it will become the world’s largest long-haul carrier by 2012. And some critics also believe it will become the world's largest airline by 2017.
History
Emirates Boeing 777-300 (A6-EMV) landing at
London Heathrow Airport. Emirates flies 91 times a week to London Heathrow, using the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A340-500. Emirates also uses London Heathrow, for Codeshare Agreements, and connecting flights
The airline was established in May 1985 by the Dubai government. It first started operations with flights to
Karachi and
Mumbai followed by
Delhi in September. A single
Airbus A300 and a
Boeing 737-300 were leased from
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Subsequently two
Boeing 727-200 Advanced were acquired from the UAE's Royal Flight. These aircraft were used until Emirates began taking delivery of a fleet of newly built
Airbus A300-600R and
Airbus A310-300 widebodied aircraft.
The first European destination to be added in July 1987 was
London Gatwick Airport and
Far Eastern operations commenced to
Singapore in June 1990. Emirates acquired a financial stake of 40% and a management contract for Air Lanka on
1 April,
1998, which subsequently changed its name to
SriLankan Airlines. Emirates received the airline of the year award for the first time in 2001 and repeated the feat in 2002. It is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai and has 20,273 employees.
Statistics
International Air Transport Association (IATA) statistics indicate that in 2006 Emirates ranked among the top-ten airlines in the world in terms of passengers (17.54 million) carried and kilometers (71.3 million) flown in 2006/2007. The airline carried 14.5 million passengers in 2005/06, 2 million more than the previous year’s 12.5 million.
The passenger seat factor increased to 75.9 per cent, up 1.3 percentage points from the previous year, led by an increase in traffic by 20.2 per cent. In the financial year 2005/2006, Emirates carried 14.5 million passengers and one million tonnes of cargo.
[6]
Revenue Statistics for 'Emirates Airline'| Year | Total Revenue (AED’000) | Total Expenditure (AED’000) | Operating Profit (AED’000) | Net Profit (AED’000) | Yield (Fils per RTKM) | Unit cost (Fils per ATKM) | Breakeven load factor (%) |
|---|
| 2002-2003 | 9,709,749 | 8,749,606 | 1,000,511 | 906,747 | 169 | 111 | 65.4 |
|---|
| 2003-2004 | 13,286,331 | 11,602,094 | 2,618,789 | 1,573,511 | 181 | 107 | 59.0 |
|---|
| 2004-2005 | 18,130,998 | 15,628,282 | 2,652,291 | 2,407,385 | 192 | 111 | 58.0 |
|---|
| 2005-2006 | 23,050,927 | 20,489,601 | 2,652,291 | 2,474,999 | 203 | 122 | 60.2 |
|---|
| 2006-2007 | 29,839,618 | 26,675,891 | 3,338,873 | 3,096,416 | 216 | 129 | 59.9 |
|---|
Passenger Traffic Statistics for 'Emirates Airline'| Year | Traffic | Passenger seat kilometres | Fleet | Average age of fleet (months) | Aircraft departures from Dubai International Airport | Destinations | Number of employees | Aircraft Departures | Passenger seat factor (%) |
|---|
| 2002-2003 | 8,502,894 | 31,660,547 | 46 | 36 | 45,452 | 64 | 10,507 | 45,452 | 76.6% |
|---|
| 2003-2004 | 10,441,345 | 40,110,375 | 61 | 46 | 58,763 | 73 | 12,804 | 58,763 | 73.4% |
|---|
| 2004-2005 | 12,528,761 | 51,398,393 | 69 | 55 | 72,057 | 76 | 15,858 | 72,057 | 74.6% |
|---|
| 2005-2006 | 14,497,536 | 62,260,070 | 85 | 61 | 79,937 | 83 | 17,296 | 79,937 | 75.9% |
|---|
| 2006-2007 | 17,544,140 | 77,946,590 | 104 | 63 | 92,158 | 89 | 20,273 | 92,158 | 76.2% |
|---|
Destinations
Main articles: Emirates destinations
Emirates currently flies to 92 destinations in 59 countries on five continents from its primary hub in Dubai. It has a particularly strong presence in the
Southeast Asian region, which together, connects Dubai with more international destinations in the region than any other Middle Eastern airline.
An Emirates A330-200 at Düsseldorf international airport.
Beyond the immediate region, the airline has a key role in the important
Kangaroo Route. It flew 4.0% of all international traffic into and out of Australia in the year ended June 2006, fifth only to
Qantas, for a total of 2,324,530 passengers and accounting for 65% of the market on that segment. The majority of these passengers make onward connections to the airline's 27 destinations in Europe, more so than any of its rivals.
While the airline does not maintain sizeable hubs elsewhere, or for that fact anywhere it has taken advantage of liberal bilateral aviation agreements between Dubai and Australia, and with Singapore, to offer more onward connections from Sydney and Dubai respectively. On
1 September 2005, for example, it launched six-times weekly flights between
Bangkok and Dubai. China and India are major markets for the airline and has fueled much of its growth in recent years, with flights to
Beijing were increased to 2 times daily from
1 June 2005, and flights to
Bangalore increased to daily. Emirates is the leading carrier between India & the Middle East.
Business Class Cabin Of Emirates Boeing 777-200.
It discontinued flying to
Vietnam due to "security problems" in
Ho Chi Minh City since
10 May 1998.
The airline's strengths have also invited protectionist measures to keep it out of key foreign markets. In particular, it has been unsuccessful in gaining access on the transatlantic routes between London-Heathrow and the United States, and on the transpacific routes from Australia to the United States. The airline protested when Cathay Pacific was allowed on the transatlantic route in 2003.
[7] The Australian authorities deferred decisions to allow the airline on the route to the United States from Australia
[8]
Emirates has stated that it wants to dramatically expand service to Canada and establish a North America hub in
New York, but has complained about being shut out by Canada's protectionist policies.
[9] However, Emirates has been successful in obtaining unlimited German-U.S. rights, which it exercises with a daily Hamburg-New York 777-300ER service.
[10]
Emirates New Destinations
:
'New Destinations (Updated 28th August, 2007)'| Destination | Flights per Week | Aircraft | Start Date |
|---|
| São Paulo, Brazil | 6 | Boeing 777-200LR | 1st October, 2007 |
| Ahmedabad, India | 6 | Airbus A330-200, Boeing 777-200 | 27th October, 2007 |
| Toronto, Canada | 3 | Boeing 777-300ER | 29th October, 2007 |
| Houston, United States of America | 3 | Boeing 777-200LR | 3rd December, 2007 |
| Los Angeles, United States of America | 5 | Boeing 777-200LR | 23rd December, 2007 |
| Kozhikode (Calicut), India | 5 | Airbus A330-200, Boeing 777-200 | 11th March, 2008 |
★ Emirates has an order book of $30 billion and plans for another 40-50 destinations. The Americas and Africa are at the forefront of plans to increase the 104-strong fleet, Tim Clark President of Emirates Airline was quoted saying.
★ Emirates is planing to expand a nonstop service globally from its hub in Dubai to
Los Angeles International Airport,
San Francisco International Airport,
Atlanta International Airport,
Logan International Airport,
O'Hare International Airport,
Philadelphia International Airport,
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport , and
Washington Dulles International Airport.
[11]
★ The carrier hopes to start new air service to Calicut, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, and Jaipur, it said in a release.
★ Emirates is not far from its 100th destination, but the choice still has to be made. Shaikh Ahmad says: "We are always seeking to expand, we are looking at the West Coast of the US and South America.
★ Emirates has been rumored to explore the possibility of adding flights between Dubai and Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the near future.
★ Emirates also hopes to capitalize on travel associated with an emerging political dynamic: China and Africa.
★ Emirates has been rumored to explore the possibility of adding flights between Dubai and Algiers, Algeria.
★ The airline plans to raise the number of Chinese destinations beyond Beijing and Shanghai to five, while also increasing the airline's portfolio of 10 routes it flies into.
★ Tim Clark said that Emirates is planning on buying 10 more of Boeing's
747-8s to serve
San Francisco,
Los Angeles, and
South American cities. He also said that Emirates is working on getting new flyover rights over
Russia to minimize the length of the flights to
North America's West Coast.
[12]
Fleet
Passenger fleet
The Emirates fleet consists of the following aircraft as of August 2007
:
'Emirates Fleet'| Aircraft | Total | Passengers
(First
★ /Business/Economy) | Routes | Notes |
|---|
| Airbus A330-200 | 29 | 237(12/42/183)
278(27/251) | ''Short-medium haul''
Africa, Asia, and Europe | |
| Airbus A340-300 | 8 | 267 (12/42/213) | ''Long haul''Former Singapore Airlines Aircraft | |
| Airbus A340-500 | 10 | 258 (12/42/204) | ''Long haul''
Australia, New Zealand, Asia,
Europe, and North America | |
| Airbus A380-800 | 0
(55 orders) | 489
517
644 | ''Long haul'' | Entry into service: August 2008 |
| Boeing 777-200 | 3 | 290 (12/42/236)
346 (42/304) | ''Medium-long haul'' | |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 6 | 283 (12/35/236) | ''Medium-long haul'' | |
| Boeing 777-200LR | 1
(9 orders) | 266 (8/42/216) | ''Ultra long haul'' | Entry into service: September 2007 |
| Boeing 777-300 | 12 | 380 (18/42/320)
434 (49/385) | ''Medium-long haul'' | |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 31
(23 orders)20 Rights | 358 (12/42/304)
427 (42/385) | ''Medium-long haul'' | |
| Total | 100
(87 orders) | Updated: August 2007 | |
|---|
★ First Class is only offered on select routes.
The average age of the Emirates fleet is 5.4 years as of August 2007.
[13]
Cargo fleet
The Emirates cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft as of March
2007:
'Emirates Cargo Fleet'| Aircraft | Total | Notes |
|---|
| Airbus A310-300F | 3 | |
| Boeing 747-400ERF | 1 (2 orders) | Entry into service: July 2007-February 2008
Operated for Emirates SkyCargo by TNT[14] |
| Boeing 747-400F | 4 | Operated for Emirates SkyCargo by Atlas Air
To be phased out
Replacement aircraft: Boeing 777F |
| Boeing 747-8F | (10 orders)10 Rights | Entry into service: 2008
Operated by Emirates SkyCargo |
| Boeing 777F | (8 orders) | Entry into service: 2009
Operated by Emirates SkyCargo
Replacing: Boeing 747-400F |
| Total | 8
(21 orders) | Updated: August 2007 |
|---|
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER
★ The Emirates Boeing customer code is '1H'. The code appears in aircraft models in this sequence, Boeing 777-3'1H'ER.
Emirates has ordered 55 Airbus A380 aircraft. It will be the third airline to receive the aircraft, after launch airline
Singapore Airlines and
Qantas. Forty-one passenger A380-800s are to be purchased and two are to be leased from
International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). Two freighter A380-800Fs were ordered for Emirates SkyCargo. However, this was changed to the
passenger model in May 2006. Their first A380 was to enter service in October 2006
[15] but will now not be delivered until early 2008. After delivery, the airline will be the largest operator of the type.
[16]
★ As of
November 20,
2005, Emirates had an order book of $117 billion, comprising 105 firm orders, including 55 Airbus A380s (by far the largest of any carrier),
[17] and 51 Boeing 777, to become the largest carrier.
★ Emirates is still evaluating both Boeing's
787 and Airbus's
A350. Boeing is now planning to create a larger 787 called the 787-10 in response to Emirates' and other airlines requirement for a larger aircraft than the already launched
Boeing 787-8 and
Boeing 787-9. Airbus has also planned a larger A350, known as the
A350 XWB.
[18] although it's believed as of the
18 June 2007 Emirates has chosen the A350 XWB.
[19]
★ On
October 27,
2006, Emirates announced that it canceled its order for 20
Airbus A340-600 aircraft, citing that they believed the A340 lacked the technology offered by more up-to-date planes. They also canceled the
Airbus A380-F which were due for delivery in 2009. Instead the airline has opted to order ten of the recently launched
Boeing 747-8 freighters for its SkyCargo subsidiary at the 2006
Farnborough Air Show. The reason Emirates has chosen the Boeing 747-8 "derivative" freighter over the all-new Airbus A380-F is the
Boeing aircraft's nose-loading capability, something the rival
Airbus freighter is lacking.
[20][21] In addition, Emirates also said that it was evaluating the
Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, the yet to be launched passenger version of the Boeing 747-8, especially the "stretched" version now studied by Boeing which would incorporate the same 5.6 m stretch as the freight variant instead of the mere 3.6m stretch envisaged for the passenger model. This would bring the -8I's capacity 20% closer to the Airbus A380-800's typical three-class 555-seat capacity (470 seats in a three-class-configuration instead of 450).
★ On the
7 May 2007 Emirates reaffirmed its order for 43 A380s and has committed to another 4 as well which brought its total order to 47.
On the
18 June 2007 during the
Paris Air Show Emirates ordered 8 additional A380s, which now brings its order for a total of 55.
[22]
★ Emirates is also considering replacing some, A330s, A340s and Boeing 777s , and may buy 20 passenger versions of the
747-8 from Boeing, a deal worth $5.5 billion at list prices Tim Clark was quoted saying.
★ On the
18 June 2007, Emirates which was deciding between the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 said it would decide on an order worth as much as $20 billion for mid-sized planes by October and
that the design of the Airbus A350 XWB was closing in on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. Emirates President Tim Clark said he was ruling out splitting the order for as many as 100 planes between
the two manufacturers. Clark said he believed Boeing's barrel idea was the plane of the future but would not be a deal-breaker for the next order but said that it would order the aircraft in the future.
[19] Emirates will decide
on a mid-size aircraft order worth up to $20 bn by October 2007,
Reuters reported.
★ Emirates airline is negotiating for up to 20 Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft, according to Flight International magazine.
Emirates already has an order for 10 747-8 freighter aircraft and an option for 10 more in a $5.6 billion deal inked last September.
Emirates is in talks for the 747-8I passenger version and a deal could be announced during the Dubai Air Show in November. The 747-8I is priced between $285 million to $300 million per aircraft.
Awards and accolades
Emirates have received numerous awards and accolades. The airline has won 9th best Airline of the Year 2007 in the World Airline Awards by Skytrax.
Incidents and accidents
:''See also:
List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners - Emirates''
★ An
Airbus A330-243 en route
Dubai-
Vienna (Flight EK127) declared an emergency shortly after taking off on
May 28,
2006. The aircraft returned for an emergency landing at the
Dubai International Airport.
★ An
Airbus A340-313X of Emirates ran off the runway when taking off from
OR Tambo International Airport on
April 9 2004. At the call to rotate, the pilot flying pulled back on the stick. However, according to a report, the nose was then de-rotated and the aircraft did not become airborne. The crew felt a rumbling, selected full power, and about two seconds later the aircraft lifted off the ground. The airport says that threshold of runway 25, approach lights and part of the runway surface were damaged as the aircraft went over the end of 21R. The pilot had received ambiguous instructions regarding rotation technique during his transition training. Emirates Training establishment was censured by Airbus after an investigation.
[24]
Partnerships and Alliances
Emirates has partnerships of varying degrees with the following companies
Emirates has codeshare agreements
[25] with
Sri Lankan in which it owns a 43% stake,
Continental Airlines and
Lufthansa, where it codeshares on selected regional routes, and with
Skywards member airlines, which it became a member of in April 2000
[26].
Singapore Airlines went into a tripatite alliance with
Standard Chartered Bank in 2001.
On 20th March 2004, Emirates signed a deal with
Raffles International (Swissotel),
InterContinental,
Radisson Hotels (Rezidor Hotel Group),
Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, and
Marriott Vacation Club International.
On 4th April 2005, Emirates signed a deal with
Dubai Autodrome and later bought a majority stake in the company for an undisclosed amount.
On 3rd September 2006, selected
Korean Air as a code share partner to fly to Seoul, 6 times a day through it's hub in Dubai.
Services
The tower which accommodates most Emirates staff
Service innovation
Emirates in-flight entertainment system,
ICE, was introduced in 2002 and is now offered to passengers in all classes with over 1200 entertainment options. Using the Wisemen 3000 hardware and
Dolby digital personal cinema headphones for economy class, and active noise cancelling headphones for Business and first class, they include at least 600 movies, 80 TV shows, 60 games, 200 CDs, audio channels, flight cameras, flight statistics, destination info and traveller guides, and live TV channels. Since 2003, all entertainment options are available on demand to all classes with options to pause, forward, and rewind them.
In 2005, Emirates was one of the earliest to introduce high-speed, in-flight Internet service in March by installing the
Inmarsat’s satellite system and became the second airline in the world to offer live international television broadcasts using the same system in June.
[27] In the same month, free language lessons became available, with 22 languages offered. In December 2003, the airline offered free live news feeds it called "Live Text News" via its KrisWorld entertainment system from
BBC World.
[28]
First and business class passengers on some flights are offered to choose what ever they want to eat during the flight via the internet.
In November 2006 it was announced that Emirates had signed a deal with mobile communications firm ''AeroMobile''. This will allow passengers on board Emirates flights to use their
mobile phones to call or
text people on the ground. This is the first airline to confirm such a deal and will allow passengers to use their personal mobile phone in early January 2007 on selected Boeing 777. Emirates won the award for best
in-flight entertainment in 2006 from
Skytrax, because of their ICE (information communication entertainment) system, with the biggest selling point being over 500 channels of movies, television and music.
Emirates has begun construction on its own luxury
five star hotel and towers. It is located next to
Dnata headquarters on the
Sheikh Zayed Road.
In mid-2007, Emirates will feature docking capability for
Apple Inc.'s
iPod portable music and video player. This will allow the device's battery to be charged, but will also allow integration with Emirates' in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. This will also enable the IFE system to play music, television shows, or movies stored on the iPod, as well as function as a control system.
[29]
Emirates Flight Catering
Emirates Flight Catering Co. has over 4,800 staff and provides in-flight catering and support services for airlines at Dubai International Airport.
Following many expansion programmes to cope with the growth of Emirates Airline, meals per day. A brand new catering facility dedicated to the production of airline meals for Emirates Airlines had opened in March 2007. The new facility has a capacity of 115,000 meal tray set-ups per day, and will feature high levels of automation including an electric monorail system for metal carts, a bin conveyor system for equipment and a vacuum waste disposal system throughout the facility.
The company provided 22.3 million airline meals in 2006, and is on course to produce over 24 million meals in 2007. The daily average meal uplift is 115,000.
Cabin
Emirates announced a major upgrade to its cabin and inflight service on
15 October 2003 Initially planned for its
Airbus A380-800's introduction into service in 2006, and subsequently on the
Boeing 777-300ER, the postponement of the first A380-800 delivery meant it had to be introduced with the launch of the first Boeing 777-300ER with the airline on
9 December 2004 between Dubai and Paris There are currently no plans to introduce the service to the existing Emirates fleet.
Presently, thirty one Boeing 777-300ERs being operated by the airline offer the upgraded cabin services to New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney, and London, but passengers have to pay a higher fare.
Frequent flyer programme
Main articles: Skywards
Skywards is the frequent flyer program of Emirates,
SriLankan Airlines and other Emirates travel partners. Miles are earned through flights with Emirates and SriLankan, or with cooperating airlines such as
Continental Airlines,
Japan Airlines,
Korean Air,
South African Airways, and
United Airlines. Skywards offers status tiers Silver and Gold, which give additional benefits based upon miles flown in a year.
Onboard
First Class
The facilities onboard Emirates' First Class varies by aircraft. On Airbus A340-500 flights, First Class passengers can enjoy one of the most luxurious flying experiences in the world. Full suites, complete with closing doors to ensure privacy, envelop the passenger with luxury from the start. A mini-bar, coat rack and ample storage all combine to provide a truly memorable flight experience. For complete relaxation, the seat converts into a 6'7" fully-flat bed.
On board the new generation of Emirates Boeing 777-200 and 777-300 aircraft, passengers can also experience such luxury. Fully-flat beds, mini-bars and gourmet meals (including caviar and premium Champagnes such as Dom Perignon) are available on demand, as well as over 500 channels of cutting-edge in-flight entertainment.
On older aircraft, First Class passengers can still experience all the service comforts, but with a slightly older seat design.
Business Class
On Business Class, the following features are included on some routes;
★ Seats with a 60" pitch that recline to angled lie-flat beds with ample room for taller passengers on only their newest planes
★ Electrically operated massager, privacy partition, backrest recline, seat pan extension, footrest extension, leg rest extension and lumbar support on only their newest planes
★ Adjustable winged headrest with six-way movement.
★ Two individual reading lights and one overhead light in each seat.
★ Large personal table along with a smaller cocktail table.
★ 19" digital display screen except front rows which have 15.4" screens.
★ Touch screen as well as handset controls for inflight entertainment features.
★ Touch screen as well as discrete button controls for seat and privacy divider.
★ Chefs have created a choice of meals all served on exclusive fine bone china with linen napkins. Each meal is accompanied by a range of specially selected fine wines.
★ Complimentary drinks and canapés prior to serving you a multi-course meal.
★ Business Class passengers a complimentary Chauffeur-drive service to and from selected airports. At the airport they speed you through exclusive Business Class check-in desks, label your baggage with priority handling tags and give you the choice to relax in the Business Class lounge facilities at most airports. Emirates are also starting to upgrade their business class seats from summer 2007
Economy Class
The seat has a seat pitch of 34 inches (Boeing 777) or 32 inches (other aircraft) and a width of 17 inches (Boeing 777) or 18 inches (other aircraft) as well as a 150 degree seat recline. Like standard economy class seats, adjustable headrests and footrests is available on every seat. There is a 9 inch screen for inflight entertainment and in-seat power supply at selected seats. A minibar is located at the back of the aircraft where light snacks and drinks are offered during the flight.
Each seat is equipped with a 9" flat screen giving access to over 600 channels of entertainment. The Emirates ICE (information, communication and entertainment) system lets you choose from over 130 on-demand movies, 60 TV channels or listen to any of 350 audio channels
Every seat is equipped with a telephone handset and games controller for the 40 games on board, you can also send SMS and email from your seat.
Emirates offers a 10-abreast (3-4-3) seating in Economy class cabins on the Boeing 777 aircrafts in comparison to the 9-abreast (2-5-2 or 3-3-3) seating used by other operators. Most passengers find the 10-abreast seating slightly cramped.
In-flight entertainment
A personal television installed as part of
Emirates's ''ice'' IFE system.
Emirates offers in-flight entertainment on its entire fleet.
Emirates announced that
Panasonic Avionics Corporation has been selected to create the new IFE system which will be installed on all of Emirates Fleet, using the new ex2 system. 15 video channels, containing 164 new movies, 3 classic films, World Movies and a variety of specially selected TV programs, can all be found on Emirates inflight entertainment. 26 audio channels offer the latest hits, classic albums, music from around the world and classical music as well as interviews and much more.
★ Large widescreen LCD TV with 1280 X 768 resolution
★ A range of Movies, TV, music, games, and interactive programs
★ Built-in office software, based on Sun Microsystems StarOffice Productivity Suite for use with
USB Port
★ In-seat AC power port
ICE
Information
Operated by
Emirates Airline, ''ICE'' is another example of a next-generation in-flight entertainment system. ICE (Information Communication Entertainment) is currently operating in all of Emirates Airline's
Airbus A340-500, and all of Emirates Airline's
Boeing 777-300ER and
Boeing 777-200 fleet. The system is based on the '3000i' system from
Panasonic Avionics Corporation. ICE provides passengers with a direct data link to
BBC News. ICE is the first
IFE system to be connected directly to automatic news updates. This is complemented by ICE's ''Airshow'' moving-map software from
Rockwell Collins. Along with this software comes ICE's unique system of exterior cameras located on the aircraft. These cameras can be viewed by any passenger through the IFE system during takeoff and landing.
Communication
ICE also contains a link to an in-flight
email server which allows passengers to access, send or receive emails for US $1 per message. Similar to KrisWorld, ICE also contains a seat-to-seat chat server
[30].
Entertainment
Similar to KrisWorld, the entertainment system from
Singapore Airlines, ICE allows passengers to choose from a library of movies, audio
CDs, and
video games. ICE offers over 130 on-demand movie titles and 15 video-on-demand channels, 60 prerecorded television channels, 350 audio channels, and around 50 video-game titles. ICE can also be accessed in 10 different languages are
English,
French,
Spanish,
Arabic,
Korean, and
Japanese.
[31]
Newspapers and Magazines
Newspapers and magazines are available to all Executive & Executive First passengers on Emirates flights. Emirates in-flight magazine,
enRoute, is provided to all passengers on all flights.
Emirates Lounge
First and
Business class passengers, as well as Skywards Gold and Silver members, have access to Emirates Lounges, located at several airports throughout the airline's network. In addition to the Emirates Lounge, Emirates passengers are able to use the Department of Civil Aviation's (DCA) First Class lounge in Dubai.
At the Moment Emirates has 33 lounges in 16 cities, with plans for 13 more. It also has affiliation with 53 other lounges.
Financial performance
Emirates First Class Suite
The airline has recorded a profit every year since its inception, except the second. Growth has never fallen below 20% a year. In its first 11 years, it doubled in size every 3.5 years, and has every four years since.
The Emirates Group announced a net profits of Dhs 2.8 billion (US$ 762 million) for the financial year ended
31 March 2006. while the total revenues of Emirates in the previous fiscal year (2004-2005) where $4.9 billion.
[32]
For 2004–05, Emirates paid an increased
dividend of
Dh368 million to the
Government of Dubai, compared to Dh329 million the year before. In total, the ownership received Dh1.1 billion from Emirates since dividends started being paid in 1999. Having provided an initial start-up capital of
US$10m plus and an additional investment of circa US$80m at the time of the airline's inception,
[33] the Dubai government is the sole owner of the company. However, it does not put any new money into it, nor does it interfere with running the airline.
[32]
Business model
Emirates business model has led to their commercial success in the aviation industry.
[35] The airline has a lean workforce which can be compared to
low-cost carriers rather than traditional
flag carriers. It has a simple organizational structure, that allows the airline to maintain low overhead costs and it must pay no income taxes on wages. Due to the low operating costs at its Dubai base, some industry analysts believe the airline is second only to
Ryanair on a cash cost per seat basis.
[36] Therefore, the airline is able to serve secondary destinations as well as connecting to places via their
hub in Dubai.
[37] The airline has not joined any major global
airline alliances and doubts the advantages of such alliances bring for the airlines as well as for their customers, after taking into consideration the high costs of compliance of alliance membership. The airline operates only
wide-body aircraft which results in lower unit costs compared to other major airlines operating a mixture of narrow and wide-body aircraft. It allows Emirates to use the aircraft's cargo capacity to increase its revenues and total
profits. Since its
Dubai hub does not have any flying restrictions at night, the airline is able to highly utilise their aircraft. The airline virtually does not have any legacy costs compared to other airlines. It also helps that all forms of
strikes are banned in the UAE (except for construction related strikes).
Employment
Emirates, which hopes to take delivery of Airbus A380 has invested Dh73 million ($20 million) to expand its crew training facility at the Emirates Training Centre. In order to serve its expanding operations the airline has been hiring new cabin crew at a rate of 60 per week, due to rise to 100 per week as larger aircraft, especially the A380s, join the fleet. By 2011, Emirates expects to have more than 14,000 cabin crew on its payroll.
Controversy
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER At Manchester Airport
The established network carriers in Europe and Australia, i.e.
Air France-KLM,
British Airways,
Lufthansa, and
Qantas, perceive Emirates' strategic decision to reposition itself as a global carrier as a major threat because it increasingly enables an ever-growing number of air travelers to by-pass traditional airline hubs such as
London Heathrow Airport,
Charles de Gaulle International Airport, and
Frankfurt Airport on their way between Europe/North America and Asia/Australia by changing flights in Dubai instead. These carriers also find it difficult to deal with the growing competitive threat Emirates poses to their business because of their much higher cost base.
Some of these carriers—notably Air France and Qantas—are so concerned about the detrimental effects of Emirates' growth on their future ability to compete with it on a
level playing field that they have resorted to openly accusing their Dubai-based rival of receiving hidden state subsidies and of maintaining too cosy a relationship with Dubai's airport authority as well as its aviation authority, both of which are also wholly state-owned entities that share the same government owner with the airline. In addition, they have also accused Emirates of taking unfair advantage of its government shareholder's sovereign borrower status. They claim that this masks its true financial performance and reduces its borrowing costs below market rates.
[38][39][40][41]
Codeshare agreements
Emirates has
codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
[42]
★
Air India
★
Air Malta
★
Air Mauritius
★
Continental Airlines
★
Japan Airlines
★
Korean Air
★
Lufthansa
★
Oman Air
★
Philippine Airlines
★
Royal Air Maroc
★
South African Airways
★
Sri Lankan Airlines
★
Thai Airways International
Marketing
Emirates SkyCargo A310F
★ Emirates also holds the sponsorship rights for
cricket umpires and
association football referees.
Emirates is a big global sponsor of sports clubs and events, both at its home base and in the main overseas markets it serves. It also sponsors the annual "
Dubai Shopping Festival" and the "
Dubai Summer Surprises". As the airline lacks a "ready-made" clientele in its almost non-existent home market, this type of
corporate sponsorship is its most effective marketing tool. Perhaps not surprisingly, for Emirates marketing expenses account for a far greater share of its total costs than for most of its competitors.
In the English-speaking world the sponsorship always carries the words "Fly Emirates".
At present the company provides the following sponsorships:
★ Emirates has sponsored the Australian cricket team (defending champions) and hosts the
West Indies cricket team for the
2007 Cricket World Cup.
★ Emirates has sponsored the
2007 Rugby World Cup. This is the second rugby related sponsorship after the
Dubai Sevens.
★ Emirates is the title sponsor of the
Dubai World Cup thoroughbred horse race.
★ Emirates is also the title and main sponsor of the
Melbourne Cup (Australia's richest horse race).
★ Emirates was a major sponsor of the
2003 FIFA Women's World Cup.
★ Emirates was the Official Airline of the
2006 FIFA World Cup.
★ Emirates is the main sponsor behind the
America’s Cup challenge team Emirates Team New Zealand, made from the remnants of ''Team New Zealand'' who won the cup in 1995, and defended in 2000 before losing it in 2003.
★ Emirates is sponsor of
Collingwood Football Club
★ Emirates is the main sponsor of
Arsenal F.C. of the English
Premier League, and has its name on Arsenal's new stadium,
Emirates Stadium, until June 2020, and is the shirt sponsor until 2014.
★ Emirates is now the major sponsor of new
Super 14's the
Emirates Western Force
★ Emirates is also involved in the
IRB Sevens World Series
★ Emirates was the sponsor of
Chelsea F.C.
★ Emirates is the sponsor of the football club
Hamburger SV in the
Fußball-Bundesliga
★ Emirates announced before the start of the
2006 Formula 1 Championship that they had signed a sponsorship deal with Team
McLaren Mercedes.
★ Emirates is a sponsor for the
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf division and Distaff division.
★ Emirates sponsors the
Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament.
★ Emirates is the sponsor of
Paris Saint-Germain FC
★ Emirates became the first company to sponsor two teams in one
UEFA Champions League match in 2006, with Hamburger SV facing Arsenal F.C. Under UEFA regulations, one sponsor cannot appear on both teams' shirts, so for both games, the away side had "Dubai" on their shirts, with the home team wearing Emirates shirts.
★ Emirates sponsors the
Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament.
★ Emirates sponsors the
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the
2007 Asian Cup
★ Emirates also holds the sponsorship rights for
cricket umpires and
association football referees.
Gallery
References
1. Directory: World Airlines
2. [1]
3. Airlines’ Reputations Hinge On the Basics, Study Shows
4. Singapore Airlines raises the bar for luxury flying
5. WATS Scheduled Passengers Carried
6. Operating statistics - Emirates
7. Singapore Airlines to protest decision to allow Cathay Pacific to fly transatlantic route
8. Australia rules out opening up Qantas' trans-Pacific route to rivals
9. Airlines’ The sky that is limited, The Vancouver Sun, retrieved 7 April 2007
10. Airline Outlook, Aviation Week and Space Technology, August 20-27, 2007, p. 23
11. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003713409_emirates19.html
12. Emirates to take a big leap forward in fleet expansion
13. Emirates Fleet Age
14. Emirates News
15. ''Airliner World''. March, 2005
16. Emirates to be largest operator of A380
17. Emirates pushes for A340-600 Enhanced in place of high gross weight variant. Kingsley-Jones, M. ''Flight International''. March 17, 2006.
18. http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=4505
19. http://archive.gulfnews.com/business/Aviation/10133398.html
20. ''Financial Times (Farnborough Air Show - Boeing lands .3bn Emirates order''), UK Edition, London, 19 July 2006
21. Flight International (Farnborough Show Report 7-23 July 2006 [Air Transport - Emirates explains freighter buy]), Reed Business Information Ltd., Sutton, 25-31 July 2006, p. 4
22. http://archive.gulfnews.com/business/Aviation/10133391.html
23. http://archive.gulfnews.com/business/Aviation/10133398.html
24. Safety: Illusory Tricks and Overruns
25. Codeshare Partners
26. Star Alliance Member Airlines
27. Singapore Airlines and Connexion by Boeing Finalize Plans for High-Speed, In-Flight Connectivity
28. Singapore Airlines Presents Live Text News And Expands Inflight Games Selection
29. "Apple: 6 Airlines To Offer In-Flight iPod Connection In '07." De Weese, J. ''The Wall Street Journal''. November 14, 2006.
30. Emirates New Entertainment System Asia Travel Tips, Wednesday April 11 2007
31. Emirates Traveler Information Emirates Airline, Wednesday April 11 2007.
32. Money CNN
33. ''The Sunday Times (Emirates boss heads for bigger goals''), Times Newspapers Ltd., London, 23 July 2006
34. Money CNN
35. Rise of the Emirates Empire, CNN Money, October 1 2005
36. ''The Economist (Eazy Oz - Emirates Airline, Low cost is coming to long haul flights, next could be low fares''), pp. 82/3, The Economist Newspaper Ltd., London, 29 October 2005
37. ''The Economist (Flights of fancy''), www.economist.com, 5 October 2006
38. Emirates Airline Accused of Unfair Practices
39. Flanagan: the elder statesman of Emirates
40. Rise of the Emirates Empire
41. Financial Times (Row erupts between Qantas and Emirates), UK Edition, London, 9 November 2005
42. Emirates Codeshare Agreements
★
The Economist, 2005/6, , , , The Economist Newspaper Ltd, , (
''The Economist'' online)
★
Financial Times, 29 October 2005, , , , UK Edition, , (
''Financial Times'' online)
★
Financial Times, 19 July 2006, , , , UK Edition, , (
''Financial Times'' online)
★
The Sunday Times, 23 July 2006, , , , Times Newspapers Ltd, , (
''The Sunday Times'' online)
★
Flight International, 25-31 July 2006, , , , Reed Business Information Ltd., , (
''Flight International'' online)
External links
★
Official site.
★
Emirates Airline - Company Profile
★
Emirates Fleet Detail
★
Emirates Chairman Interview
★
The Emirates Group
★
Emirates Skycargo
★
Emirates Booking Engine Case Study
★
CNN Money.com, ''Rise of the Emirates Empire'', by Matthew Maier, October 1, 2005
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