Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways together make up a group commonly referred
to as the Middle East Three, or M.E.3 for short. All three airlines have used their geographical
positions in the middle east to connect much of the world through their respective hubs.
Indeed, all three have done this while also offering some of the highest levels
of service and comfort in the industry. In this video, we take a look at the types of
aircraft operated by each carrier and how this represents their differing strategies.
Let’s first start with Etihad Airways- most often referred to as just ‘Etihad’. Of the M.E.3, Etihad
has faced the most challenges in recent years, suffering the effects of several bad investments.
With the airline managing to slowly improve its financial position in the midst of this crisis,
what aircraft is it operating?
Well, as it stands today, Etihad’s fleet consists of 90 aircraft across six types shown here.
Nowadays, the airline’s 787s do most of the heavy lifting. These efficient twinjets can be found
on routes to Europe and even the US. This allows the airline to save millions in costs during this
time of lower demand, especially when compared to operating larger jets like the 777 or A380.
Meanwhile, many routes have been bumped down to the narrowbody side.
In fact, the A320 and A321 can be mainly found on routes to the Middle East and South Asia,
both bustling markets with strong demand. Despite taking new deliveries, Etihad’s fleet
has shrunk- from a peak of 121 in 2017 down to 90 today. Some of these retirements have been induced
by the pandemic, namely the decision to park all 10 Airbus A380s. After a year of grounding, the
airline’s CEO has continued to insist that there’s no future for the type in the future fleet.
These superjumbos are now sitting in long-term storage, where they will likely
remain forever, barring a surprise recovery. However, it’s not only the A380s that Etihad
has definitively said goodbye to in the last two years. As a part of its turnaround plan,
the carrier has retired its entire A330 fleet, which was once a mainstay on medium-haul routes.
Another generation of aircraft headed for retirement are all 19 of Etihad’s 777-300ERs.
The carrier has announced that this generation of 777s will be gone by the end of 2021, officially
leaving Etihad with only three families of jets, as the future of its 777X order remains in limbo.
By the end of 2021, Etihad will operate only the Airbus A320, A350, and Boeing 787 for
all of its operations. It’s unclear when the A350-1000s will enter service. Despite three
being delivered to the carrier, these planes have never flown a revenue passenger service.
After sitting in storage, there are signs that these jets could be activated soon,
and the airline has repeatedly said that they will play a key role in the fleet.
Over the years, Etihad has become a far more nimble airline. With only efficient widebodies
and a major A320 fleet, the carrier will benefit from matching demand and capacity. Hopefully
these adjustments will allow it to better compete with its fellow Middle Eastern rivals.
On that note, let’s move over to Qatar Airways, which has one of the most
diverse fleets in the world. From the grounded Airbus A380s to the brand-new Boeing 787-9s,
the airline has had a year of fleet changes.
Unlike its competitor Emirates, which is famous for its 777 and A380 fleet, Qatar Airways is a
lot more flexible with its planes. This became a key asset over the course of 2020, as the pandemic
decimated passenger traffic. Airlines were left to fly a small trickle of passengers every day
or else cancel their flights. However, thanks to its mixed fleet, Qatar was able to deploy the most
suitable plane in terms of passenger demand for most of its routes, an act known as ‘rightsizing’.
Currently, Qatar Airways operates a total of 231 aircraft. The stars of the show are
the airline’s widebodies, which fly on the longest and highest demand markets.
According to ch-aviation.com, here is the airline’s widebody fleet as of August 2021:This
list of widebodies does not include planes from the carrier’s cargo arm,
which include the 777F and 747-8F. However, it does include the airline’s 13 grounded A350s-
which are at the center of a fuselage degradation situation,
and an ongoing spat with Airbus, leading to a pause in A350 deliveries.
While the widebodies tend to grab all the attention,
they aren’t the only jets Qatar is flying.
Indeed the airline flies an exclusively Airbus A320 family fleet of narrowbodies.
As of today, the carrier flies 29 Airbus A320-200 and three A321-200s.
These planes were particularly important during the pandemic,
when several European and Asian destinations only saw these low capacity aircraft operating.
In addition to the classic A320s, Qatar has also placed orders for the A321LR,
which will allow for more long and thin routes in the future, as well as serving
popular routes during their off-season periods. Of course, one aircraft which has been absent
from active service has been Qatar Airways’ A380s. While the airline has firmly said goodbye to half
the fleet, there have been mixed signals about the future of the remaining five superjumbos.
Indeed, although CEO Akbar Al-Baker once called the A380 the airline’s “worst mistake
ever,” he apparently hasn’t completely ruled out even a partial reactivation.
After deferring deliveries last year, Qatar Airways is once again
adding new planes to its fleet. With a total of 231 aircraft now, we can expect to see even
more exciting types join the fleet in the next few years, including the 777X!
Finally, let’s take a look at Emirates, which is often best
known as the mega-carrier based in Dubai and the largest operator of the Airbus A380.
However, the airline also operates two more aircraft types and has orders for several more.
When it comes to its regular commercial operations, Emirates essentially operates
two types: The Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380. This two-type strategy helps the airline keep
maintenance costs low and carry as many passengers as possible on its busy network of destinations.
Here’s a quick glance at Emirates’ fleet as of August 2021, which features 264 planes in total:
While this list is relatively short,
it should be noted that each fleet subdivides to specific variants and configurations.
The flagship fleet, and the one most popularly referenced, is the A380-800. Emirates is by far
the largest operator of the superjumbo, flying a whopping 119 examples comprising over 45% of the
global fleet. However, not all A380s are built in the same configuration, with Emirates constantly
innovating its cabins to suit routes and shifting trends. Here’s a breakdown of the A380 fleet:
3x four-class A380s: 14 seats in first,
76 in business, 56 in premium economy,
338 in economy.
15x high-density two-class A380s:
58 seats in business 557 in economy.
111 three-class A380s: 14 seats in first
76 in business 426 in economy.
The premium economy-equpped A380s are the three newest superjumbos in the fleet, delivered
between December 2020 and June 2021. While only six jets will come fitted with the new cabin,
dozens of others will be retrofitted to include this new class of service.
While the A380’s life might be coming to an end at several airlines,
Emirates is not giving up anytime soon. Indeed, CEO Sir Tim Clark has repeatedly said that the
jets will fly into the 2030s, giving them over a decade of life before disappearing.
But while the A380 captures most of the glory, Emirates has 144 Boeing 777s
that are the workhorses of the fleet. This includes a mix of dedicated freighters,
operating for SkyCargo, and passenger jets. While 75% of the A380s remain grounded even today,
all of Emirates’ 777s are currently flying missions.
The fleet consists of three variants: the 777-300ER, 777-200LR,
and the 777F. With 144 of these Boeing widebodies operating today,
Emirates is the larger operator of the 777. The fleet is broken down as follows:
Nowadays, nearly all of Emirates’ 120 destinations are served by the 777,
with only 30-40 destinations seeing the A380. This makes the planes crucial to
passenger and cargo operations, especially during the worst of the global health crisis.
The 777-300ER fleet only averages an age of 8.5 years, with the oldest plane being over 15 years
old and the youngest being only three years. Meanwhile, the 777Fs have an average age of
eight years. The passenger-carrying 777-200LRs are the oldest in the fleet at 13.3 years on average.
While most consider Emirates to be a widebody-only airline,
the carrier does have one narrowbody too. This is a 10-year-old A319 ACJ (Airbus Corporate Jet),
a VIP aircraft designed to fly some of the airline’s wealthiest customers.
This jet, registered A6-CJE, is a notably discreet jet. It’s painted in all-white and features no
Emirates livery. Inside, however, the plane is configured in a luxurious layout with a bedroom,
10 first class suites, and living areas for passengers.
The aircraft is only used on-demand. Data from RadarBox.com shows that it’s been busy
in recent months, flying almost daily since mid-May. However, prior to that, the aircraft
sat dormant for months on end, likely due to a lack of bookings. In recent times, the plane has
been flying mostly to India with occasional visits to the Maldives and Saudia Arabia.
Despite being operated by Emirates Executive, a subsidiary,
it still uses EK flight numbers and registration, thereby adding it to the fleet.
Emirates is an airline that emphasizes planning for its fleet, and it already has tens of
billions of dollars of planes on order. The biggest addition to the fleet will
be the Boeing 777X, which will eventually take over the 777 family and the A380. The airline
has placed an order for 115 777Xs, which will likely see delivery in early 2024,
although the carrier acknowledges that delays may extend this waiting time.
The 777X order is already down from the original 150 in 2013. However, that doesn’t
mean Boeing has lost too much business. In 2019, Emirates shocked many by ordering the 787-9,
diversifying its fleet to include the relatively smaller widebody.
This came on the heels of an announcement for 50 A350-900s- another ultra-efficient widebody.
The coming years will see Emirates become a far more diverse airline and move away from
a strict two-type aircraft fleet. This will allow the airline to rightsize its operations,
perhaps allowing it to access markets that may not have been profitable before.
So that’s our overview of three major Middle Eastern carriers. Which of these three do
you like the most? Who do you think has the best fleet? Let us know by leaving a comment.