Gulf mega carrier with additional wide bodies - Video - Curt Lewis

Emirates receives four wide-body aircraft in one day


Emirates has taken delivery of four wide-bodied aircraft today in a company record.

The arrivals of two B777-300ERs, one B777 freighter and one A380 marks the 150th Emirates B777 delivery and takes its B777 fleet to 147 and its A380 fleet to 66.

The Guld carrier is the world's largest operator of both the B777 and the A380. It received its first B777 in 1996, and has since retired three older B777 aircraft from service.

Tim Clark, Emirates' president, said: "The Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 are two of the most advanced, efficient, and spacious commercial aircraft in the skies today.

"They are the mainstay of the Emirates fleet, giving us versatility in our route planning, and also the ability to offer our customers the latest features and comforts onboard."

The four new aircraft are valued at $1.5 billion and underwent pre-service maintenance checks before being put into regular service.

The maiden flights for the two B777-300ERs took passengers from Dubai to Kuwait and Mumbai, while the first flight for the new A380 took off from Dubai to Dusseldorf.

The B777 freighter was scheduled to fly directly from the Seattle area, where it was manufactured, to Hong Kong to pick up 103,000 kg of cargo.

Emirates has received 14 new aircraft so far in 2015, which include nine A380s, four B777-300ERs and one B777 freighter. During the same period, the airline retired eight aircraft, comprised of four A340-500s, three A330-200s and one B777-200.

Including the most recent deliveries, the total number of aircraft in the Emirates fleet stands at 238 with an average age of 6.5 years, representing one of the youngest fleets in the skies.

The airline has 270 additional aircraft on order, worth a total of $129 billion at list prices. Its order book includes 46 B777-300ERs, 115 B777-9Xs, 35 B777-8Xs and 74 A380s.