Emirates is gearing up to receive the first of two brand new plane types.
The Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 will both begin arriving in 2023.
But what’s the plan with these smaller aircraft? Speaking exclusively to Simple
Flying in an interview, Emirates president Sir Tim Clark explained that it’s not about
replacing the big jets with small, but more about opening new opportunities to the carrier.
In terms of its passenger jets, Emirates has always had a very clear fleet strategy
in recent times. The only aircraft in the passenger fleet have been the
biggest of them all – the 777 and the A380. However, Emirates’ fleet is set for a shakeup
with the arrival of two brand new types. Starting in 2023, Emirates will begin flying
the A350 and the 787, both new technology aircraft and both new types to the carrier.
Emirates’ order for A350s came at the tail end of 2019, at the Dubai Air Show that year. Initially
placed in tandem with an order for A330s, the number ordered started with 39 and then
ballooned to 50 as the airline firmed up its plans. Emirates will fly the these from 2023.
Along with the Airbus twinjets, Emirates will become even more diverse with the
addition of the 787 Dreamliner. The airline has shown interest in the 787 for some years,
having ordered up 40 787-10s in 2017. This was later downsized to the popular 787-9,
firming up an order of 30 of the type with Boeing.There are talks that the order for
the 787 could further be inflated as the airline looks to reduce its 777X commitment. What’s more
interesting, however, is the reason for this shift to small. Speaking to us in an interview,
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark noted that it’s not all about replacing the large aircraft...
“The widebody twins figure very much in our plans, not so much for replacement – unfortunately the
A380s will eventually have to be replaced – but for our ability to increase frequency of already
profitable city pairs and introduce new routes, which would be too big for a 777 or an A380.”
As of March 2021, Emirates is flying to 161 destinations across 85
different countries. While that’s extensive coverage by any estimation,
Clark believes there are still plenty more destinations to be added to the Emirates network.
“[The smaller twinjets] allow us to open a lot more countries, or cities within those countries,
alongside FlyDubai. So we would manage the capacity relationship between the two carriers
into countries where we see real opportunity. Africa, South America, Asia, and believe it or
not Europe, which, with a combination of all these aeroplanes gives us an enormous
potential. That’s where we’re looking at it.” There are dozens of destinations ripe for
Emirates’ service in all the continents Clark mentioned. While the airline covers all the main
destinations, and delivers onward connections via its extensive codeshare partners, there is
still expansion left to do before the airline has even begun to exhaust its opportunities.
In Africa, we could see a 787 hopping down to Kinshasa in the DRC,
or to Kigali in Rwanda, to compete with rival Qatar’s interests there. Parts of South America
could also benefit from Emirates connectivity. At the end of the day, the airline won’t be
deviating from its hub and spoke strategy- but with the smaller,
more nimble twins in its fleet, more locations will become economical to add to the network.
Where do you think Emirates will fly these smaller aircraft? Let us know in the comments.