Emirates : EK : UAE

Emirates mulling order of up to 30 A380s, say analysts

Emirates Airline is expected to place orders for a significant number of aircraft, including 30 A380s and additional Boeing 777s at the Dubai Airshow next month, aviation analysts said.

The largest international carrier has around 199 planes on order, scheduled for delivery through to 2019, but is likely to unveil new orders to support its rapid route expansion and in preparation for the delayed delivery of the Airbus A350.

“Boeing has some 29 unidentified orders for 777s. Emirates has a history of placing orders through the year without making them public and then announcing them at the show,” said Saj Ahmed, a UK-based aviation analyst.

“At this stage it's unclear how many they ordered in 2011, or indeed whether they will actually place a brand new order. Either way, expect at least 20 [Boeing] 777s for Emirates as a result of the A350 delays and their need to fill that gap as they draw down older airplanes,” he said.

The airline is also a likely customer for a further 30 A380s, to take their total order for the aircraft to 120, he said.

State-backed Emirates is among the world’s largest buyers of new aircraft. The carrier counts 90 Airbus A380s worth $34bn at list price among its outstanding orders, and said in July it plans to spend around $4bn annually over the next three to four years.

With about a hundred 777s in the Emirates fleet now and about 40 still to come, the carrier is also the model’s biggest airline customer.

Airbus said in June it planned to push back the launch of its largest A350 wide-body aircraft by 18 months. The delay allows the planemaker to meet buyer demands for a more powerful engine, and puts the model into more direct competition with Boeing 777-300ER.

Ernest Arvai, president of US aviation consultancy Arvai Group, said he also expected Emirates to unveil new orders to support a recently-announced push into the American market.

The airline last week said it would add flights to Seattle and Dallas in a revival of plans to establish a major route network to the world’s largest economy that it shelved after the 2001 terror attacks.

“We believe Emirates will order additional A380s to cover route growth, including a couple of routes to the US,” he said. “I would expect Emirates to fill out its fleet plan for 2015-17 with additional orders if they see a gap, and potential delays to A350.

“Two factors are in play. One is additional growth for Emirates and more aggressive expansion plans, and the other, is the expectations with respect to Airbus delivery timing.

“Emirates doesn't want to be in a position to be ready for new routes and not have aircraft ready, so additional 777s are a safe choice,” he added.

Emirates Airline and Boeing both declined to comment when contacted by Arabian Business.

“We’re always in touch with our customers - existing and potential ones - and any discussions of course remain confidential,” an Airbus spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum last week said the carrier is likely to place orders for new planes at the show in November, but didn’t specify which aircraft.

“I would say it’s more positive that we might sign something,” he told reporters.

Jeannot a écrit:Emirates pourrait commander 30 A380s supplémentaires à Dubai

Emirates mulling order of up to 30 A380s, say analysts

Emirates Airline is expected to place orders for a significant number of aircraft, including 30 A380s and additional Boeing 777s at the Dubai Airshow next month, aviation analysts said.

The largest international carrier has around 199 planes on order, scheduled for delivery through to 2019, but is likely to unveil new orders to support its rapid route expansion and in preparation for the delayed delivery of the Airbus A350.

“Boeing has some 29 unidentified orders for 777s. Emirates has a history of placing orders through the year without making them public and then announcing them at the show,” said Saj Ahmed, a UK-based aviation analyst.

“At this stage it's unclear how many they ordered in 2011, or indeed whether they will actually place a brand new order. Either way, expect at least 20 [Boeing] 777s for Emirates as a result of the A350 delays and their need to fill that gap as they draw down older airplanes,” he said.

The airline is also a likely customer for a further 30 A380s, to take their total order for the aircraft to 120, he said.

State-backed Emirates is among the world’s largest buyers of new aircraft. The carrier counts 90 Airbus A380s worth $34bn at list price among its outstanding orders, and said in July it plans to spend around $4bn annually over the next three to four years.

With about a hundred 777s in the Emirates fleet now and about 40 still to come, the carrier is also the model’s biggest airline customer.

Airbus said in June it planned to push back the launch of its largest A350 wide-body aircraft by 18 months. The delay allows the planemaker to meet buyer demands for a more powerful engine, and puts the model into more direct competition with Boeing 777-300ER.

Ernest Arvai, president of US aviation consultancy Arvai Group, said he also expected Emirates to unveil new orders to support a recently-announced push into the American market.

The airline last week said it would add flights to Seattle and Dallas in a revival of plans to establish a major route network to the world’s largest economy that it shelved after the 2001 terror attacks.

“We believe Emirates will order additional A380s to cover route growth, including a couple of routes to the US,” he said. “I would expect Emirates to fill out its fleet plan for 2015-17 with additional orders if they see a gap, and potential delays to A350.

“Two factors are in play. One is additional growth for Emirates and more aggressive expansion plans, and the other, is the expectations with respect to Airbus delivery timing.

“Emirates doesn't want to be in a position to be ready for new routes and not have aircraft ready, so additional 777s are a safe choice,” he added.

Emirates Airline and Boeing both declined to comment when contacted by Arabian Business.

“We’re always in touch with our customers - existing and potential ones - and any discussions of course remain confidential,” an Airbus spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum last week said the carrier is likely to place orders for new planes at the show in November, but didn’t specify which aircraft.

“I would say it’s more positive that we might sign something,” he told reporters.

Jeannot a écrit:Donc 30 A380s et tout ou partie des 29 777s non identifiés... Cela me semble beaucoup...

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Emirates airline pushing Boeing to update 777

Tim Clark, president of Middle Eastern airline giant Emirates, has lavish expansion plans that should help both Boeing and the Pacific Northwest region to grow.

With Emirates already the largest operator of big 777 widebodies in the world, he'll visit Seattle on Monday to meet with Lars Andersen, Boeing's head of 777 advanced development. Clark is working closely with Andersen on Boeing's key project to design an updated 777.

Although Boeing has its hands full right now, Clark is pushing the company for a 777 revamp no later than 2018. He's demanding a 777 that will carry more passengers, fly farther and be 10 to 15 percent cheaper to operate.

"That's the task we set them," Clark said "And my goodness, they are moving on this."

As for the region, Emirates will soon fly 777s in and out of Seattle daily. In a phone interview Wednesday, Clark said the newly announced service from SeaTac to Dubai, starting March 1, will open up the city to the Middle East, Africa, India and other parts of Asia.

"We'll open the door," Clark said. "People will see what we are doing and move with us."

Boeing intends to bump up production of the 777, its most lucrative widebody program, to an unprecedented 100 jets per year by early 2013.

Airbus has no rival to the 777 but is preparing one — the mostly composite A350-1000. At the Paris Air Show in June, Airbus announced a two-year delay in that program until 2017 to give Rolls-Royce time to develop a new, bigger engine to power its jet.

That gives Boeing a little more time, too. But Clark said his older 777s will be retired in 2017 and he wants Boeing's upgraded version to replace them.

The 777 revamp will likely include a new 787-style carbon fiber-reinforced plastic composite wing that will save weight, Clark said.

"If they can get a ton or two out of the wing by going with composites, this is something they really ought to be getting on with," he said. "The industry is very, very hungry for technological advances to improve the cost of operation, particularly in fuel."

Happily for Boeing, Clark wasn't happy with Airbus' A350-1000 announcement in Paris, which he said was done without consulting him in advance.

He said Rolls is making a presentation on its proposed new engine for the Airbus jet to his engineers in Dubai on Thursday. But he's doubtful the latest design will be powerful enough for such a big airplane in the very hot temperatures and low-pressure conditions of Dubai in the summer.

Nevertheless, Clark said both Boeing and Airbus will emerge from all their current struggles with new airplanes with technology that greatly advances aviation.

Clark won't be ordering Boeing's newest widebody jet, the freshly delivered 787 Dreamliner, which is too small for his needs. But because its new technologies will transfer to the 777, he's paying close attention to its introduction into service.

Clark said the Japanese domestic routes will be a tough test, with short, full flights into busy airports where luggage carts and food carts will bang into the airplane. How will the composite skin and all the new airplane systems hold up?

"Everybody, including Boeing, is watching that with a magnifying glass," he said. "They'll learn from all of that. Everything will be plowed back into design and development at Boeing."

In the end, he said, the Dreamliner will be a great airplane. Looking back in 10 years, Boeing will conclude that, "Yes, it took a lot of pain; but now we have the platforms of technology on which we can do other things," Clark said.

And by then, Emirates could be much bigger than it is now, dominating the airlines of the world.

The U.S. expansion announced Wednesday, with new flights from Dubai to both Seattle and Dallas, comes as the world economy teeters on the brink of recession.

"It's not a good time," Clark admitted, "but when is?"

He said Emirates will take delivery of 52 widebody jets in the next 20 months — 777s from Boeing and A380 double-decker, superjumbos from Airbus — and "come hell or high water, nothing is going to stop us bringing those airplanes in."

London-based veteran airline consultant John Strickland said Seattle's gain is Vancouver's loss.

Emirates was keenly interested in expanding into Vancouver, B.C., but was blocked by the Canadian aviation authorities to protect Air Canada.

As a result, Seattle may see a boost in both business and tourist travel.

Strickland said Emirates has tended to expand business at all the airports it has gone into, generating new traffic.

When Emirates started flying to Shanghai, he said, unexpected traffic growth arose from Chinese businessmen and engineers traveling to Africa. When it opened its flights to São Paulo, Brazil, Japanese travelers filled planes en route to the thriving Japanese community there.

In India, said Strickland, Emirates has become the de facto national airline. "They are where Air India would have been if it had been better managed," he said.

Clark said he expects a healthy traffic between Seattle-area software companies and the "silicon areas" of India where software is a big export.

And of course, jet-setting Boeing executives will likely also be big users of the Emirates business-class cabins out of Seattle.

"They ought to be," said Clark. "I'll be telling them in no uncertain terms."

HARARE, 7 oct 2011 (AFP)
La compagnie aérienne Emirates a annoncé vendredi qu'elle allait desservir en 2012 le Zimbabwe et la Zambie, à raison de cinq vols par semaine.

2011 AFP

HARARE — Emirates airline said Friday it will begin flying five times a week between Zimbabwe, Zambia and Dubai next year.

"In February 2012, Emirates will commence services five days a week from Harare and Lusaka to Dubai," Emirates Group said in a newspaper advert seeking applications for staff to run its new operations.

Flag carrier Air Zimbabwe has downsized its services because of frequent strikes and huge debts as the company tries to maintain an ageing fleet.

Air Zimbabwe pilots went on strike for over five months this year over unpaid salaries and allowances as the airline is saddled with $100 million in debt.

Several international airlines, including EgyptAir, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Quantas stopped flights to Zimbabwe because of dwindling passenger numbers as tourists were scared off by political violence and food shortages.

Regional airlines like Air Malawi, Kenyan Airways and South African Airways are still flying to Zimbabwe.

Ils voient les opportunités, et n'hésitent pas à les exploiter !

Jeannot a écrit:Emirates pousse Boeing à faire évoluer son 777

Emirates airline pushing Boeing to update 777

Tim Clark, president of Middle Eastern airline giant Emirates, has lavish expansion plans that should help both Boeing and the Pacific Northwest region to grow.

With Emirates already the largest operator of big 777 widebodies in the world, he'll visit Seattle on Monday to meet with Lars Andersen, Boeing's head of 777 advanced development. Clark is working closely with Andersen on Boeing's key project to design an updated 777.

Although Boeing has its hands full right now, Clark is pushing the company for a 777 revamp no later than 2018. He's demanding a 777 that will carry more passengers, fly farther and be 10 to 15 percent cheaper to operate.

"That's the task we set them," Clark said "And my goodness, they are moving on this."

As for the region, Emirates will soon fly 777s in and out of Seattle daily. In a phone interview Wednesday, Clark said the newly announced service from SeaTac to Dubai, starting March 1, will open up the city to the Middle East, Africa, India and other parts of Asia.

"We'll open the door," Clark said. "People will see what we are doing and move with us."

Boeing intends to bump up production of the 777, its most lucrative widebody program, to an unprecedented 100 jets per year by early 2013.

Airbus has no rival to the 777 but is preparing one — the mostly composite A350-1000. At the Paris Air Show in June, Airbus announced a two-year delay in that program until 2017 to give Rolls-Royce time to develop a new, bigger engine to power its jet.

That gives Boeing a little more time, too. But Clark said his older 777s will be retired in 2017 and he wants Boeing's upgraded version to replace them.

The 777 revamp will likely include a new 787-style carbon fiber-reinforced plastic composite wing that will save weight, Clark said.

"If they can get a ton or two out of the wing by going with composites, this is something they really ought to be getting on with," he said. "The industry is very, very hungry for technological advances to improve the cost of operation, particularly in fuel."

Happily for Boeing, Clark wasn't happy with Airbus' A350-1000 announcement in Paris, which he said was done without consulting him in advance.

He said Rolls is making a presentation on its proposed new engine for the Airbus jet to his engineers in Dubai on Thursday. But he's doubtful the latest design will be powerful enough for such a big airplane in the very hot temperatures and low-pressure conditions of Dubai in the summer.

Nevertheless, Clark said both Boeing and Airbus will emerge from all their current struggles with new airplanes with technology that greatly advances aviation.

Clark won't be ordering Boeing's newest widebody jet, the freshly delivered 787 Dreamliner, which is too small for his needs. But because its new technologies will transfer to the 777, he's paying close attention to its introduction into service.

Clark said the Japanese domestic routes will be a tough test, with short, full flights into busy airports where luggage carts and food carts will bang into the airplane. How will the composite skin and all the new airplane systems hold up?

"Everybody, including Boeing, is watching that with a magnifying glass," he said. "They'll learn from all of that. Everything will be plowed back into design and development at Boeing."

In the end, he said, the Dreamliner will be a great airplane. Looking back in 10 years, Boeing will conclude that, "Yes, it took a lot of pain; but now we have the platforms of technology on which we can do other things," Clark said.

And by then, Emirates could be much bigger than it is now, dominating the airlines of the world.

The U.S. expansion announced Wednesday, with new flights from Dubai to both Seattle and Dallas, comes as the world economy teeters on the brink of recession.

"It's not a good time," Clark admitted, "but when is?"

He said Emirates will take delivery of 52 widebody jets in the next 20 months — 777s from Boeing and A380 double-decker, superjumbos from Airbus — and "come hell or high water, nothing is going to stop us bringing those airplanes in."

London-based veteran airline consultant John Strickland said Seattle's gain is Vancouver's loss.

Emirates was keenly interested in expanding into Vancouver, B.C., but was blocked by the Canadian aviation authorities to protect Air Canada.

As a result, Seattle may see a boost in both business and tourist travel.

Strickland said Emirates has tended to expand business at all the airports it has gone into, generating new traffic.

When Emirates started flying to Shanghai, he said, unexpected traffic growth arose from Chinese businessmen and engineers traveling to Africa. When it opened its flights to São Paulo, Brazil, Japanese travelers filled planes en route to the thriving Japanese community there.

In India, said Strickland, Emirates has become the de facto national airline. "They are where Air India would have been if it had been better managed," he said.

Clark said he expects a healthy traffic between Seattle-area software companies and the "silicon areas" of India where software is a big export.

And of course, jet-setting Boeing executives will likely also be big users of the Emirates business-class cabins out of Seattle.

"They ought to be," said Clark. "I'll be telling them in no uncertain terms."

La seule vraie nouvelle est la présentation de RR à Dubai
aux ingénieurs d'Emirates ce jeudi. Si j'étais une petite souris... [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Emirates Wants Boeing 747-8F Improvements

Emirates Sky Cargo is “waiting to hear from Boeing“ on the latest performance specifications for the much-delayed Boeing 747-8 freighter as Cargolux continues to negotiate with the airframer over the terms and conditions for the delivery of its first two aircraft. Emirates Divisional Senior VP-Cargo Ram Menen says the airline “wants to see improvements” in the aircraft’s performance.

Cargolux, backed by its new major shareholder, Qatar Airways, refused to accept its first two 747-8Fs in September, citing disagreement over contractual issues. On Oct. 1, Cargolux announced that it had reached a tentative agreement with Boeing over the contractual issues and that further details would be revealed Oct. 7 after the deal was signed and the Cargolux board met. When Friday, Oct. 7, rolled around, however, Cargolux did not reveal details, instead saying that negotiations would continue over the weekend. As of Tuesday, there still was no word of an agreement being reached. The first Cargolux 747-8F delivery had been tentatively rescheduled for today.

Emirates Sky Cargo has five 747-8Fs on firm order and five more on option. The carrier already has pushed back delivery dates for the aircraft and now expects the first at the end of 2013. That is also when the promised General Electric (GE) performance improvement package should be fully available. The first batch of engines is understood to feature a 2.7% fuel burn shortfall.

The airline also is taking delivery of a fourth Boeing 777F next February and plans to limit its freighter fleet to the two types plus several Boeing 747-400Fs on wet-lease. Menen says Emirates would not be interested in a possible Airbus A380F if and when Airbus would reoffer the aircraft.

Having been among the fastest growth carriers in the cargo segment, Emirates Sky Cargo feels the effects of the ongoing market uncertainties. Business has essentially been flat in August, according to Menen, after a 1,2% gain in July. Imports into Europe and the U.S. have been “very weak,” as have been Chinese exports, but Emirates Sky Cargo benefits from its proximity to growth markets in Africa and the Middle East. Menen is hopeful that with the political situation in the Middle East stabilizing, demand in the region will grow steadily on the cargo side, as it has in the passenger market.

Emirates price tag for an A380 stands at $234,000,000
Quick item from the Department of Things That Probably Weren't Meant to be Posted on the Internet: WSJ.com inexplicably posted [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] from Nimrod Capital LLC, which today bought the first of three A380s it is leasing to Emirates, each for 12 years.

All the headlines have been focused on China Southern's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] today, but for Doric Nimrod Air Two Limited, MSN077 is their first aircraft, and the 16th of 90 that the Dubai-based carrier has on order.

Doric Nimrod Air Two Limited (the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, MSN 077 Limited (the "Subsidiary"), has today acquired an Airbus A380-800 aircraft bearing manufacturer's serial number 077 (the "Aircraft") for the sum of US$234,000,000. The Aircraft was delivered to the Subsidiary today at the Airbus delivery centre in Hamburg, Germany.

The Airbus list price of an A380 currently stands at $375.3 million, providing an interesting glimpse into what Airbus' largest superjumbo customer is paying for its new aircraft. At $234 million, Emirates is receiving a 38% discount off list price, which is not far off the industry standard for the magnitude of the carrier's order.




What's not clear from this figure is if the price of the Engine Alliance GP7200 engines, which list for $16.6 million each, is included in that price. Further, what share of the price includes the extensive interior customization and in-flight entertainment is also not known, but at the price Nimrod is paying, you begin to get a rough sense of the share that revenue that actually goes back to Airbus.

• en général, aujourd'hui, les moteurs sont 'vendus' ou 'mis en leasing' sous leurs propres contrats, et les motoristes et Lessors, le cas échéant, font leurs 'montages' entre eux ;
  
• il y a des contrats spécifiques entre les motoristes et les acquéreurs qui font leurs 'acquisitions' ou contrats (sur base 'power-by-the-hour') ;
  
• bien sûr, il peut y avoir des accords du type "TotalCare" (entre les motoristes et les acquéreurs), qui soient séparés ou intégrés à la command-moteurs principale, .... ou aménagés de manière appropriée, pour couvrir tous les angles et axes contractuels, s'il y a des Lessors dans les circuits ;
  
• bien entendu, on peut mettre une dernière touche, concernant les moteurs, si jamais les premiers montages cèdent la place à une opération de 'vente et lease-back' !
  

Il y a surement des spécialistes parmi nos membres, qui peuvent améliorer sensiblement ces vulgarisations rudimentaires ci-dessus !

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Creating a Giant

Tim Clark has spent the past quarter of a century building the ultimate big boy’s toy. Along with his Emirates management team, Clark has created a global network carrier flying state-of-the-art airliners to every corner of the globe with an on-board product up with the best, and a brand to die for. But he’s rattled a few cages on the way, as jealous rivals look on – some incredulously and others angrily – at the apparent ease with which Emirates has done it. Those rivals should be warned: Clark does not intend to slow down.

“We are still firm believers in our plan to globalise the Emirates network,” he says. “And this isn’t a token presence in a particular city via multiple intermediate points. This is a robust presence in the points that we serve on a minimum of a daily basis and eventually two or three times a day.”<

Clark has put the pieces in place. He has the right size, mix and number of aircraft in the fleet or on order, he has the route rights, the airport infrastructure and – most controversially for his rivals – he has the full support of his government. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum – the uncle of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed – is chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

“I work very closely with Sheikh Ahmed. He’s the boss, and there’s nothing I do that he doesn’t sanction,” says Clark.

“Emirates arrived on the scene in the 1980s just at the time when the global economy was exploding, and off we went on that wave. There are those who in that post-1985 era couldn’t understand it and couldn’t climb to get there – and they’re still not there. We were born on that wave and able to move with the tide very rapidly.”

The airline now serves about 114 destinations across every continent and has a passenger fleet nearing 150 aircraft. As it works to establish that “robust presence” throughout the globe, Clark says flying transpacific services between points in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Australasia is “the only piece of the jigsaw that’s missing. We’re just getting into the start positions – we have the West Coast of the USA, we have Chinese points, we have Asian points, we have Australasian points. So the Pacific is encircled and the next stage is to link the dots – we have the rights.”

Clark says if he could have his way this phase of the Emirates strategy would be initiated “sooner rather than later”, but he recognises the timing is not quite right yet. “We need to consolidate our market presence in places like the USA. We need to be as understood in the USA as we are, for example, in Europe.” The “underlying demand” Emirates generates through its huge network feeding into its Dubai hub means the airline is able to ride out the tough times. “We’ve always got people feeding into the system,” says Clark, who sees this continuing to expand as the airline grows and becomes even more global. “When I open the door of an aircraft in Dubai and I’ve got 40 points serving it, each with five people on, I’ve got 200 people on board simply because we are there in their markets.”

Growing Pains

The airline’s 148-strong all-widebody fleet comprises 45 A330/A340s, 15 A380s and 88 777s, as well as nine freighters (six 747-400Fs and three 777Fs). With the oldest passenger aircraft having been in service for more than a decade, a significant portion of the fleet will start to be phased out as more 777s and A380s are delivered.

“By September 2013 we’ll have 44 A380s and have taken most of our 101

“We’re gradually phasing out about 70 aircraft – A330s, A340-300s and 777 Classics. Most will have gone by about 2015 or 2016, although one or two will be retained longer.”

The current order backlog stands at about 115 aircraft, and the influx of new equipment combined with the roll-over will see the Emirates passenger fleet grow to around 185 aircraft by March 2013.

Continuous fleet growth fuels the endless need for more operational staff, with Clark revealing that just prior to the interview he had signed off another 1,000 flight attendants, who will join the airline by March next year. “That will take us up to 16,000 cabin crew,” he adds. While the Emirates expansion will continue, “behind the scenes we’re going to have to be a bit more thrifty because the stubbornness of the oil price is giving us concerns about the bottom line.

“We’re all a little bit concerned about what is going on in the global economy and the volatility. And when there is volatility it has an effect on demand.”

This concern will mean Emirates is more cautious about “the pace at which we increase production and stretch the network” and has seen the airline’s management given “some fairly stiff parameters” to reduce the costs of “inward-facing, back-of-house” functions. “We have been totally focused on growth – perhaps behind the scenes some of those costs have grown at a greater pace,” Clark says. “We’ve got to dig deep and go into structural costs to see where we can start pulling out 5-8%.”

The costs focus comes on the back of a stellar financial performance in 2010 by the Emirates Group, which posted a 43% rise in net profit to Dhs5.9 billion ($1.6 billion) on sales that were up more than a quarter to Dhs57.4 billion. The airline arm contributed the bulk of the profit, to the tune of Dhs5.4 billion, while passenger numbers rose more than 14.5% to 31.4 million.

The 2010-2011 financial year took a slight hit from effects of the Arab Spring, but Clark says the airline has “dealt with that” and is now optimistic about the political changes across the Arab World. “I’m a great opportunist and a great believer that the change will deliver good,” he says.

Clark says the airline’s system-wide seat load factor is running at about 78-79%, some three percentage points below where he wants it.

“The problem is with the oil price where it is, we’re facing a situation where fuel is almost 60% higher than what we were paying last year so the trick has been to ease up and better manage the income streams.

“That’s not necessarily putting up fares. We have to assess the various revenue segments in which we operate and try to improve the quality of business within those segments.”

Clark says he is surprised yields so far have stayed where the airline wants them. “In fact we’ve got more out of them this summer, but it was at a price – demand was affected. The rate of increase in the segments declined.”

Network Drive

Emirates’ continuous network development is currently seeing a drive to expand into the Americas, with several new destinations coming on line during the next few months, including points in South America (Rio and Buenos Aires) and the USA (Dallas/Fort Worth and Seattle). The latter market is one where Clark says Emirates must raise its brand profile and consolidate its market presence. The USA is a “really difficult nut to crack” as it is not a single entity, he says. “We’ll do that through adding more destinations and getting our marketing act together.”

Expansion is ongoing elsewhere too, with Baghdad, St Petersburg, Zambia and Zimbabwe all coming on line between now and February. China is a key market and a major area in Clark’s sights for growth. Three points are currently served, as well as Hong Kong.

“We want a lot more from China, at least another four destinations,” he says. “Asia is very strong and it will continue to grow for us. The groundswell of support from the consumer base in the Asian markets for Emirates is very strong. People vote with their feet.

“We need more access in to India. And we’ll be taking up our frequencies into Australia – going to 12 flights a day.”

But Clark, known for his candidness during interviews, is reluctant to divulge too much from his Emirates network master plan – for fear of imitation. “Whereas 15 years ago nobody was really interested in what we were going to do, the moment I say anything now I get five other carriers moving in there very quickly.”

His openness returns when discussing how Emirates expansion plans have fallen victim to politics in markets where government concerns have prevented the airline from gaining the greater access it has sought. This has been a problem in Germany, where suspected behind-the-scenes lobbying by Lufthansa has limited Emirates to only four gateways. Similarly, the airline has struggled to expand its Vienna services. “Austrian warned that it’s not going to make its 2011-2012 profit targets and we’ve come up against that first-hand because, ‘shock horror’, there’s a huge opposition to a second frequency into Vienna,” says Clark.

However, Clark believes the tide is already turning for the “keep them out” campaigns.

“Irrespective of the positions of the legacy carriers and alliances, there now seems to be a realisation – even amongst them – that this is not going to work. They’ve got to shape the way they go about their business activities to take us on.”

Clark admits he takes an “obtuse view” towards competition, be it from fellow Gulf airlines, any threat from China, or legacy rivals.

“I’m a great believer in competition and in the airline business itself. The more people that can buy A380s or 777-300ERs the better it is for all of us. It’s a paradox, but the fact is that I honestly believe it helps us to do the job better.”

Alliance Agenda

However, one aspect of modern competition he cannot abide are the global alliances, whose behaviour he likens to global “gang warfare”, threatening to stifle competition and prevent it being nurtured. “I’m so opposed to alliances because I believe they distort and channel and direct for the greater good of the alliance thing, rather than the consumers that are driving it all.” Clark says the alliances – particularly Star – have created “a fairly difficult, vicious structure internationally” and is concerned about how much of a threat Emirates is perceived to be. “We have learnt that we are considered to be the single largest threat to the Star Alliance group on the Planet today. While I’m hugely flattered by this, it is also a worry because it shouldn’t be that. There is actually room for us and our way of doing things, and the way they do. I don’t spend my time trying to take down Star Alliance. I’d rather work with all these airlines on an independent basis, and that’s what we do. Because I’ll always give business to the partners that we have relationships with.”

Emirates recently published a paper entitled Aviation at the Crossroads – Safeguarding Competition and Consumer Choice, in which it highlights recent tactics by the alliances that create a “join or perish” commercial incentive for non-aligned airlines. “The emergence of three mega-alliances presents public policy concerns that merit careful attention”, and could “harm consumers”, Emirates says in the paper.

Unsurprisingly, Clark says the thought of joining an alliance is “anathema” to Emirates. “There’s no point in even going there. You must have total command and control of what you do. You can’t allow yourself to be subjected to the whims of an amorphous board, like the Star Alliance, saying ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that; you’ve got to buy this aeroplane; you’ve got to fly this route’. Not in the world as it is today. We want to move rapidly where we have opportunities, for example, to second or third-level airports. I don’t want to be told ‘you can’t go to that hub; I’m going there so you feed me’. Forget it.”

This sort of independent thinking has been central to Emirates’ early and continued success. “When the global economy took off, because we were totally focused on what we do, because we were not alliance-affiliated, we had nobody else to answer to and we did things the way we wanted to. We recognised in the mid-1990s that the world was changing rapidly and we had to adapt our business. We exploded the growth of Emirates, took on huge numbers of orders that shook the industry. We did that because we could see [demand for air travel] was going bananas.”

Fleet Forward

By comparison with the Emirates buying frenzy last year – that saw it order another 32 A380s and 30 777-300ERs – this year has been fairly quiet for the airline, so far. However, Clark already has his eyes on the next potential acquisition – a successor for the airline’s huge fleet of 777-300ERs.

His deep understanding of aircraft performance means he was never slow in getting stuck in with the design teams in Toulouse and Seattle as they developed their recent large widebody types. It is no different now. Clark has been quick to express his displeasure at the way Airbus has messed around with the design of the A350-1000 – for which he holds 20 orders and could potentially take more if the aircraft’s specifications meet Emirates requirements – and is pushing Boeing as it develops a 777-300ER successor, with the view to being a potential launch customer.

Airbus unveiled a revised specification for the largest A350 variant at the Paris air show in June, along with a two-year delay to service entry from 2015 to 2017. The changes centre on a modified, more powerful variant of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, along with increased weights to provide additional range capability. But Clark is not happy the revisions were implemented without any dialogue with Emirates. “If they had talked to me, I would have said: ‘[The improvement is] not good enough’,” he says.

“On paper, the old -1000 was hugely economical – it was a 777-300 classic replacement. That’s why I talked about ­converting my -900 orders.” But that possibility has dimmed with the changes, and Clark hopes Airbus’s US rival could hold the answer. “There’s a lot of work going on [at Boeing on the new 777], and we’re involved in it.”

Clark has informed Boeing that Emirates needs a twinjet capable of flying a 50-tonne payload – by its rules – between Dubai and Los Angeles. Today that route is operated by a 777-300ER, with a payload of about 35-37 tonnes. “I keep telling Lars Anderson [head of Boeing’s 777 Advanced Product Development team] that I’m already flying the -300ER there, so give me an aeroplane that can do it reasonably so I’m not shedding payload to get us there,” he says.

When he is not busy assisting the airframers with their product development strategies, Clark is also taking a leading role in a push to shake up IATA post Giovanni Bisignani.

His now famous observation from the floor at this year’s AGM that the association was perceived as being “run for the few, by the few” was part of an effort by a group led by the Gulf carriers to see reform at IATA under the stewardship of newly appointed director general Tony Tyler.

Participation in the management of another airline is a strategy that Clark indicates he is in no rush to repeat, after the experience Emirates had when it acquired a minority stake in SriLankan Airlines in 1998.

“We were in there for 10 years and spent a huge amount of time on the project,” he says. “I was down there six times a year, even with Peter Hill running it.”

Although Clark jokes that British Midland International could be available to buy from Lufthansa for “200 million”, he says there is “nothing on the cards” at the moment for Emirates to buy into another carrier. “But we never say never,” he adds.

• By Shweta Jain, Senior Reporter
  
• Published: 00:00 October 24, 2011
  
• [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
  

Dubai: A Dubai-bound Emirates flight from Bangkok made an emergency landing at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in India yesterday due to technical problems.

An Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News in an e-mailed statement: "Emirates can confirm flight EK 385, an A380 aircraft from Bangkok to Dubai, was diverted to Hyderabad international airport today at 03:45 hours due to a technical snag in the aircraft," adding that all 410 passengers aboard disembarked safely.

Of those, 205 passengers later departed on EK 527, a Boeing 777 aircraft, at 10:20 local time, Emirates said, and a relief aircraft was deployed to carry the remaining passengers.

By Simon Hradecky, created Sunday, Oct 23rd 2011 14:30Z, last updated Sunday, Oct 23rd 2011 14:56Z An Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800, registration A6-EDI performing flight EK-385 from Bangkok (Thailand) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) with 410 passengers, was enroute near Chennai (India) when the crew diverted to Chennai due to a hydraulic failure, however could not land in Chennai (runway length 12000 feet/3660 meters). The airplane subsequently diverted to Hyderabad (India) about 280nm northnorthwest of Chennai and landed safely in Hyderabad (runway length 13980 feet/4260 meters) at 03:40L (22:10Z Oct 22nd). The aircraft was subsequently towed to the apron. The passengers were taken to hotels, a part of them were rebooked onto the next regular flight from Hyderabad. A replacement aircraft is being dispatched to Hyderabad to continue the journey. Passengers bitterly complained that the crew did not tell them more than a technical problem caused them to divert. Hyderabad Airport reported a technical snag prompted the diversion. The airline said the aircraft diverted to Hyderabad due to a technical snag, the reasons for the diversion are being looked into. The flight is expected to continue in the evening of Oct 23rd. Aviation sources in India heard the crew report a hydraulic failure. Mais, ....une chose est certaine : le manque de transparence rudimentaire et de courtoisie à l'égard des passagers commence à agacer, et ne sera plus tolérée longtemps (on ne parle pas des détails techniques d'une enquête officielle, ou ceux réclamés par les media et les grandes gueules bien connues des media 'spécialisés' de l'aéronautique, et de leurs soi-disant experts -- les vrais savent patience & silence garder -- et de certains experts auto-proclamés des 'réseaux sociaux). EMIRATES est coutumier de cette approche dire le minimum, ... et, hémlas, ... de dire le minimum courtois. Là, on n'entend plus Entertainer Tim ! Pire, chaque fois qu'il s'agit d'un "airliner" à motorisation GE (ou d'une alliance où GE est partie prenante, comme dans le cas de moteurs de l'EA -- GE & P&W --, il n'y a jamais, ... jamais ... un bon "reporting" préliminaire. Mêm quand on 'sait' ('a appris de source sure') qu'il y a eu explosion de TGB et un IFSD, par exemple. Le marché le sait, et n'approuve pas ! Et, dans ce cas, le passagers pourraient finir par donner de la voix ! Il y a peut-être un début de retour de passagers ayant visité la Nouvelle Zélande pour la Coupe du Monde de Rugby. Emirates a joué un grand rôle dans les opérations de transport aérien liées à cet événement. Pour cela, il convient de féliciter la Cie. Pour ce manque de transparence rudimentaire (ce n'est pas la "faute" de l'équipage, ... qui est "aux ordres" ! ), elle mérite un 'carton jaune' (ou un coup de pied aux fesses, .... c'est selon l'humeur de l'arbitre). Dossier à suivre. Mais, y aura-t-il suite (publiée) ?

Embattled Australian carrier Qantas Friday diverted one of its superjumbo A380 planes to Dubai after it developed an engine problem, a spokeswoman said.


Qantas flight 31 from Singapore to London was carrying 258 passengers, four pilots and 21 cabin crew when it was forced to change course. It landed in the United Arab Emirates early Friday.

"QF31 Singapore to London has diverted to Dubai this morning following an issue with the aircraft number four engine," the spokeswoman told AFP, adding there were no further details currently available.

"In line with standard operating procedures the engine was shut down and the aircraft is expected to land without further incident."

Emirates : Airbus A380 contre A350.

Le prochain Salon aéronautique de Dubaï sera l'occasion pour Emirates de passer une nouvelle commande d'Airbus A380. Pas moins de 30 exemplaires supplémentaires portant le total des A380 commandés par la compagnie à 120. Mais, et cela fait partie du contrat, Emirates annule sa commande pour vingt A350-1000, estimant qu'elle ne peut attendre 2017-2018. Du coup, le transporteur passera commande pour un nombre similaire de Boeing 777-300ER, contrat qui sera aussi dévoilé au Salon de Dubaï.

Jeannot a écrit:Lu dans le N° 2286 (Sevrien : d'Air & Cosmos) du 4 novembre 2011...

Emirates : Airbus A380 contre A350.

Le prochain Salon aéronautique de Dubaï sera l'occasion pour Emirates de passer une nouvelle commande d'Airbus A380. Pas moins de 30 exemplaires supplémentaires portant le total des A380 commandés par la compagnie à 120. Mais, et cela fait partie du contrat, Emirates annule sa commande pour vingt A350-1000, estimant qu'elle ne peut attendre 2017-2018. Du coup, le transporteur passera commande pour un nombre similaire de Boeing 777-300ER, contrat qui sera aussi dévoilé au Salon de Dubaï.

Boeing, voudrait-il que le standard mondial de Boeing pour les "Superbi" de "400 places & +" soit basé sur le caprice d'Emirates / "d'Entertainer Tim", et sur son marché de niche ? Mais non, voyons !

Le style d'Entertainer Tim est vieillot. Il 'fatigue'. Tim CLARK ne divertit plus. Il casse les oreilles et les pieds à tout le monde, peut-être même à ses 'amis' !

• ne font rien de bon pour l'image ou la réputation d'Emirates ;
  
• réfléchissent une forme de bassesse qu'un CEO de Cie. aérienne doit assumer, ... car il s'agit d'une tentative de faire des négociations et du chantage, dans les medai, et via les media !
  

Pauvre Emirates ! Pauvre petit "Entertainer Tim" !

• "Airbus serait ravi de recevoir d'Emirates une commande supplémentaire d'A380-800 ;
  
• "mais ceci ne doit pas être amalgamé avec une annulation de la composante de 20 x A350-XWB- 1000 de la commande de 70 x A350-XWB, passée il y a quelques années ;
  
• "Emirates & Airbus sont contractuellement liés dans cette affaire, et il ne faut pas oublier RR, non plus ;
  
• "dans le milieu de l'aéronautique et de l'aviation, il n'est pas l'usage de laver son linge sale en public, ou de chercher à faire du chantage, ou d'exercer la pressions sur ses partenaires via la media ;
  
• "si vous cherchez, de nouveau, à déshonorer publiquement votre signature, comme Emirates l'a fait dans le cas de l'affaire de l'A340-600HGW (et ne pas oublier que l'A350-XWB-1000 a été quasiment taillé sur mesure pour vous, avec votre accord et votre collaboration dans la mise au point de sa configuration, en remplaçant l'A340-600HGW précité, cette affaire ne saurait faire l'objet d'un amalgame avec le marché des A380, ou avec celui de Boeing, et notamment, la transformation, par votre "moving of the goalposts", pour essayer de redéfinir l'avion comme un genre de 'Superbi-', que vous aimeriez voir remplacer l'actuel B777-300ER, technologiquement obsolescente, voir obsolète, et bien trop coûteux dans les opérations, et en terme de "Cost of Ownership" ;
  
• "si vous ne pouvez pas traiter cette affaire avec la dsicrétion d'usage, nous missionnerons nos avocats pour reprendre contact avec les vôtres ; il serait préférable de trouver un terrain d'entente, bien sûr, mais nou n'hésiterons pas à vous conduire devant le Tribunal ;
  
• "bien sûr, il y a une possibilité de conversion, entre les appareils de la famille A350-XWB ; Airbus serait ravi de vous voir convertir vos 20 x A350-XWB-1000 en 35 x A350-XWB-900, par exemple, ... ce qui résoudrait le problème pour RR d'une manière à la fois équitable et efficace ;
  
• "mais il n'y a pas de possibilité de conversion en A380 ; et, il serait futile de nous menacer, ou de nous faire du chantage -- ce qui n'est ni fait ni à faire dans nos milieux industriels et commerciaux, comme vous le savez -- , avec une commande de B747-8I, car, comme la planète entière, vous savez que ce dernier quadriréacteur de Boeing ne saurait se mesurer avec l'A380-800 ;
  
• "enfin, pour ce qui est des A350-XWB-1000, dans sa nouvelle version, nous avons une perspective de nombreuses commandes, de plusieurs clients, d'excellente facture, et malgré un certain regret, devant ce comportement d'Emirates, , ... que nous devons constater de nouveau, hélas, nous ne voyons pas de gros impacts négatifs sur l'imminent Salon de Dubai, ou sur notre carnet de commandes, ... mais le contraire ;
  
• "par contre, il est certain qu'Emirates se donnera en specatacle, ce qui serait doblement regrettable, étant donné qu'il est celui qui invite le monde entier sur ses terres pour ce Salon ;
  
• " il est toujours contreproductif de salir son propre nid ! "
  

• Le Salon de DUBAI de cette année, 2011, est prévu comme le dernier à être tenu sur le site actuel. L'ambition est de faire en sorte que ce soit le meilleur salon sur ce site.
  

Jeannot a écrit:Une longue Interview de Tim Clark un peu avant le prochain salon de Dubaï

Fleet Forward

By comparison with the Emirates buying frenzy last year – that saw it order another 32 A380s and 30 777-300ERs – this year has been fairly quiet for the airline, so far. However, Clark already has his eyes on the next potential acquisition – a successor for the airline’s huge fleet of 777-300ERs.

His deep understanding of aircraft performance.....

......means he was never slow in getting stuck in with the design teams in Toulouse and Seattle as they developed their recent large widebody types. It is no different now.

Clark has been quick to express his displeasure at the way Airbus has messed around with the design of the A350-1000 – for which he holds 20 orders and could potentially take more if the aircraft’s specifications meet Emirates requirements – and is pushing Boeing as it develops a 777-300ER successor, with the view to being a potential launch customer.

Airbus unveiled a revised specification for the largest A350 variant at the Paris air show in June, along with a two-year delay to service entry from 2015 to 2017. The changes centre on a modified, more powerful variant of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, along with increased weights to provide additional range capability.

Avec CLARK, Emirates rêvait de devenir 'client de lancement' de cette nouvelle variante, et déloger Qatar, parce que la position de Qatar comme client de lancement de la famille A350-XWB, est une chose qui agace profondément DUBAI !

But Clark is not happy the revisions were implemented without any dialogue with Emirates. “If they had talked to me, I would have said: ‘[The improvement is] not good enough’,” he says.

“On paper, the old -1000 was hugely economical – it was a 777-300 classic replacement. That’s why I talked about ­converting my -900 orders.”

But that possibility has dimmed with the changes, and Clark hopes Airbus’s US rival could hold the answer. “There’s a lot of work going on [at Boeing on the new 777], and we’re involved in it.”

SEVRIEN a écrit:Bonjour, chers tous.
-------------
Il est inutile de revenir dans le détail sur tout ce que nous avons écrit sur Entertainer Tim CLARK d'EMIRATES et Qatar dans le contexte de l'A350-XWB et de sa motorisation RR Trent XWB.

Toutes nos analyses approfondies sont factuelles, vérifiables, et irréfutables, ..... et n'ont jamais été réfutées, d'ailleurs. Au contraire.
---------------
Il est visible que Entertainer Tim a un problème.

Il a signé le contrat de commandes fermes avec Airbus pour 70 appareils (50 x A350-XWB-900 et 20 x A350-XWB-1000).

Il a signé son contrat pour les moteurs correspondants avec RR, ainsi qu'un accord "TotalCare" couvrant ces moteurs pendant une période de 10 ans (accord de US$2.2 milliards).

Pendant les périodes de discussion sur une éventuelle 'révision' de l'appareil, et de sa motorisation, il a pu dialoguer aisément. Il faisait partie des clients et dirigeants consultés.

Il a eu largement toutes les possibilités de dialoguer et de s'exprimer.

A tel point, qu'il avait espéré un moment que ses souhaits et recommandations seraient adoptés, ce qui aurait permis à TC & à Emirates de prendre (quasiment) le pas sur le client de lancement, Qatar.

Mais cela n'a pas été le cas. "Entertainer Tim" a été fortement déçu, et s'est mis en colère.
Al BAKER de Qatar, aussi, ... mais pas vraiment pour les mêmes raisons.
------------------------------
Et Tim CLARK n'a pas pu trouver la diplomatie pour se comporter en Gentleman jusqu'au bout ! Il a décidé de s'exprimer, en donnant des coups de gueule, par 'media interposés' et en critiquant Airbus (et, ostensiblement, en cherchant de meilleurs faveurs chez Boeing ) !

Ce faisant, "Entertainer Tim" se donne en spectacle, et casse les pieds à la plupart des gens. Il donne l'impresssion d'être à bout se souffle !

Il est dommage qu'il n' arrive pas à faire anticiper le Salon de Dubai par des actions plus intéressantes !

"Entertainer Tim", ... qui se recycle en "Advisor in Design for Wide-body long-haul jets, and egines" ! On aura tout vu !

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