Emirates moves to all A380 and B777 fleet

[cosi]

Interesting

https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2016/11/10/emirates-moves-a380-b777-fleet

 

[kamchatsky]

It is a shame that not many airlines can make A380 work. I loved the A380. Flew AKL-SYD on EK Y on A380 a while back and it was the spacious Y I have ever flown.

 

[coyote25]

Makes maintenance a little easier only having two aircraft types to worry about.

Looking forward to my first Emirates experience being on A380 in F later this year

 

[moa999]

And it's little brother/sister flydubai which has very quietly grown to 57 737s

 

[Dr Ralph]

At the beginning of my F flight from BKK to SYD earlier this week the captain proudly announced that Emirates has the largest A380 fleet in the world.

They certainly fit them out nicely.

 

[Flying Fox]

I wonder what the leasing companies will do with A380s when they are returned by the likes of SQ and EK (if they have any on lease)?

 

[TomVexille]

I wonder what the leasing companies will do with A380s when they are returned by the likes of SQ and EK (if they have any on lease)?

IIRC EK and SQ both have A380s on lease. SQ have said that they will be returning their first 380 when the lease ends in October. I really wont be surprised if EK start handing 380s back to lessors when leases start expiring.

 

[moa999]

I wonder what the leasing companies will do with A380s when they are returned by the likes of SQ and EK (if they have any on lease)?

They definitely have some issues, particularly the early SQ ones which I believe are heavy.

Suspect a few will get picked up as charter planes for Hajj flights and European summer charters.

 

[TomVexille]

They definitely have some issues, particularly the early SQ ones which I believe are heavy.

And were pre wing upgrade

 

[Flying Fox]

They definitely have some issues, particularly the early SQ ones which I believe are heavy.

Suspect a few will get picked up as charter planes for Hajj flights and European summer charters.

I never though of that. Will they sit on the ground for the rest of the year?

 

[Strategic Aviation]

I'm surprised Emirates can fill 777s for all the destinations they serve considering they operate a Hub and Spoke model and I assume some would have fairly low volume.

And it's little brother/sister flydubai which has very quietly grown to 57 737s

Some comments from Qatar Airways adds 12 cities; perhaps time for Emirates to combine with flydubai - CAPA

Qatar Airways serves the highest number of destinations of the three Gulf airlines, and it serves 49 destinations that Emirates does not. About three quarters of these destinations are flown by narrowbody aircraft and small widebodies, which Emirates does not operate. This highlights Emirates' own growth constraint of effectively having the 777-300ER as it is smallest aircraft type. Emirates needs agility to diversify and right size its network. Emirates has been studying an order for smaller widebodies – A350s or 787s – and more recently is evaluating narrowbody aircraft, too. Rather than establishing its own narrowbody operation, Emirates could consider merging with sister airline flydubai.

Qatar's growth in secondary markets, often using smaller aircraft, highlights the increasingly urgent need for Emirates to have smaller aircraft. Its smallest aircraft is effectively the 777-300ER as its handful of 777-200LRs are often earmarked for specific missions, operationally and strategically.

Smaller aircraft can open thinner markets and off peak frequencies, but can also right size existing services that are at overcapacity because the 777-300ER is too large, for example allowing for added frequencies.

Of the 34 points Qatar flies with narrowbody aircraft that Emirates does not serve at all, many are served by flydubai. flydubai, like Emirates, is ultimately owned by the Dubai government but managed separately.

An Emirates-flydubai merger is not the farfetched topic it was a few years ago. There would, of course, be integration matters to address: co-locating flydubai with Emirates, and moving flydubai more upmarket from its existing hybrid model (albeit one that already has inseat IFE and recliner business class seats). These are not easy, but nor are they insurmountable.

flydubai effectively gives Emirates a ready made narrowbody operation. flydubai would enlarge Emirates' network; allow Emirates to grow frequency on seat constrained markets (like India) by replacing widebodies with more numerous narrowbodies; and right size regional capacity that is suffering from overcapacity because of the large use of widebodies.

Closer integration or a merger would result in Emirates reviewing flydubai's order book of 75 737 MAX 8s to determine whether that needs adjustment – either alone or in combination with a 787 order. An Airbus order is complex too, since Emirates still needs an A380 replacement.

The larger destination footprint of Qatar Airways is not a challenge to Emirates in itself, but does highlight Emirates' network wide need to become more agile and less stuck to a model where it serves destinations at least daily with a 777-300ER.

 

[Skyring]

Makes maintenance a little easier only having two aircraft types to worry about.

Looking forward to my first Emirates experience being on A380 in F later this year

It's a doozy. Currently writing up my experience in the Trip Report section. On the A380, there's the shower and the bar. On the B777, a little more space and privacy. Both excellent, though I do wonder about value for money over their Business product.

DBX is an amazing sight nowadays. There's something about seeing a dozen A380s lined up side by side. And knowing that's only a fraction of their fleet.