Middle East's Largest Airline, Emirates, Set to Expand

United Arab Emirates based Emirates Airlines recently announced in a press release that they have agreed to purchase twelve new Boeing aircraft. Emirates Airlines will be able to expand service to more destinations around the globe. The purchase agreement is for twelve of Boeing's 777-300ER aircraft, the largest member of the 777 family of aircrafts. The new Boeing 777-300ER will allow Emirates to accommodate up to 427 passengers, and operate a flight of nearly 8,000 nautical miles. At Boeing's list price, these aircraft are worth around 3.2 billion US Dollars. Today, Emirates already operates a fleet of 30 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Emirates Airlines Chairman and CEO, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, had the following to say about the newest purchase of aircraft. "We have found the 777s to be excellent aircraft -- they are efficient to operate and give us flexibility in balancing range and payload. That is why we have ordered so many of them. The 777s will form the backbone of our long-range fleet, allowing Emirates to serve more far-away cities in the Americas, Far East and Australasia with nonstop flights from Dubai. Already, Emirates' Boeing 777 aircraft can be seen on six continents."

Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of Sales for the Middle East and Africa, Lee Monson, also spoke at the recent press conference. "Emirates is a premier example of an airline making the utmost of the 777's spacious cabin and taking advantage of the 777's overall operational advantages and fuel efficiency. Having an airline of this caliber as your biggest customer speaks volumes about the benefits offered by the 777 family."

About Emirates: Emirates is the Middle East's largest airline, operating out of Dubai International Airport. The airline operates over 2,000 flights per week to nearly 100 cities across the globe, serving 67 countries. Emirates Airlines operates a fleet of mixed aircraft, from both Boeing and competitor, Airbus. All of Emirates aircraft are wide body aircraft, allowing for economic movement of large numbers of people.

About the Boeing 777-300ER: The Boeing 777-300ER is the largest aircraft of the 777 family of wide-bodied aircraft. The aircraft is nearly 245 feet long and 212 feet wide. Able to fly around 8,000 nautical miles allows the aircraft to fly from Dubai to nearly anywhere in the populated world. The 777-300ER can carry over 400,000 pounds of fuel and cargo, allowing for airlines to operate very profitable routes with ample room for cargo in the underside of the aircraft. Since the aircraft has only two engines, the ability to operate on a single engine is critical. Tests have shown the aircraft can fly over six hours on a single engine. The 777 is a very safe aircraft, benefiting from being the first aircraft designed entirely on computer systems.