|
EMIRATES SIGNS FOR 20
BOEING 747-8 FREIGHTERS
Combined value
worth US$ 5.6 billion at list prices
DUBAI, U.A.E., 12th
October 2006 - Emirates Airline has signed a
contract for 10 Boeing 747-8F's, and announced
purchase rights for a further 10 747-8F's. The
combined value of these 20 aircraft is worth an
estimated US$5.6 billion at list prices.
The contract
was signed in Dubai by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed
Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates
Airline and Group, and Ken Schultz, Boeing
Commercial Airplanes Sales Director.
Sheikh Ahmed
said, "Our order for the 747-8F's will be essential
in helping us service our rapidly growing network
of 28 freighter destinations which include
exclusive freighter services in Bangalore,
Lilongwe, Gothenburg, Amsterdam, and Taipei.
Our cargo operations currently also serve Emirates'
85 destinations as belly-hold space in our
scheduled passenger services."
The 747-8F's
will effectively meet Emirates SkyCargo's
increasing requirement for additional capacity and
operational flexibility. The 747-8F's further offer
reduced noise, lower emissions and reduced trip
costs, as well as generous payload capacity with
140 metric tones.
The acquisition
will position the carrier to take advantage of a
strong regional and international cargo market. Air
cargo traffic into, out of and within the Middle
East accounted for 5.8 percent of the world's
tonnage and nearly five percent of the world's
revenue tonne-kilometers during
2005.
The firm
order of 10 aircraft is valued at approximately
$2.8 billion at list prices and is scheduled for
first delivery in 2010. The carrier currently
operates nine wide-bodied Boeing 747Fs and Airbus
A310Fs, and also has on order eight
777Fs.
Dubai-based
Emirates is one of the world's most successful and
profitable international airlines. It currently
operates a fleet of 98 wide-bodied aircraft to 85
destinations around the globe. Over the past
decade, Emirates has been recording double-digit
growth annually, and it currently receives an
average of one new aircraft per month.
The current total
value of Emirates orders of more than 100
wide-bodied jets pending delivery is approximately
US$ 30 billion.
Information:
John McGrath or
Paul Chater
Marshall-Fenn
Communications
416-962-3366
|
