SimAirline.net - Viewpoint (Entries tagged as Emirates)

Emirates Becomes Largest 777 Operator

nospam@example.com (Dennis Negrón) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:10:00 -0700

I am proud to announce that we now have the largest 777 operator in the world at SimAirline.net. Just recently Emirates took delivery of its 78th 777, passing Singapore Airlines' fleet of 77. Current deliveries consist only of the -300ER, of which the airline currently awaits 28 more orders; Emirates also flies every other passenger model of the 777. Despite a downturn in air traffic, the airline has no intentions of slowing or deferring deliveries, even with outstanding orders with Boeing's rival, Airbus.

In all, Emirates is expected to remain the largest 777 operator with over 100 units by 2012, as well as being the largest A330, A350, and A380 operator. The airline is expected to have an all-widebody fleet of over 400 aircraft by 2020.

Emirates Flies World's Longest 'Green Flight'

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:52:32 -0800

Following earlier demonstrations by Air New Zealand and United Airlines, Emirates conducted its own 'green flight' today on its launch flight to San Francisco. Many of the fuel-saving measures on the flight are not new, but every effort is being made to optimize the flight. These measures include:
-prewashing the 777-200LR to reduce drag
-using ground electric power rather than the aircraft's APU
-priority clearance for taxi-out and departure
-a priority departure route out of Dubai
-a preferred route over Russia and Canada
-real-time updates of weather and wind and routing changes en route
-optimal routings for arrival and possibly a continuous descent approach
-single-engine tax-in
-full recycling of all on-board glass, aluminum, and paper

The A310 is Back

nospam@example.com (Dennis Negrón) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:33:00 -0700

Emirates Virtual now offers the A310-300 as a retired aircraft. The A310 used to be in the Emirates fleet until it was slowly retired starting in 2005 and transferred to the cargo division of the airline. The aircraft will be used on the recently discontinued Dubai-Alexandria route.

Enjoy your flights!

More Emirates?

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:14:24 -0700

Yes, I'm afraid so. Last week was just a few comments from President Tim Clark. This week is an in-depth interview with Emirates' chief, where he discusses the A380, competitors in the Gulf, and the cost of fuel, among other topics.

Clark Discusses Emirates Expansion

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:39:18 -0700

Emirates President Tim Clark recently unveiled Emirates' 2009 new destination ambitions, naming Algiers, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Durban, and Kiev as cities that would be added if oil falls to $105 a barrel, the price at which the airline would resume network expansion. "We have hundreds of places we can go," he said. Durban was originally going to begin later this year, but was cancelled due to fuel prices.

Emirates is also cutting Alexandria next month, one of just a few destinations it has ever withdrawn from. It has also delayed the launch of flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco three times this year, not because of fuel prices but because of problems at seat and galley producers in meeting the recent surge in aircraft production.

Emirates Begins A380 Service

nospam@example.com (Dennis Negrón) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:25:00 -0700

The moment has finally arrived! Emirates, the largest customer with 58 orders, has commenced flights with the A380-800. The airline received the aircraft on 28 July, which was then flown from Hamburg to Dubai where it prepared for its inaugural flight. During the delivery ceremony, many spectators got a chance to see what amenities the airline will include for its passengers which include:
-Two private showers, private lounge, and suites for First Class passengers
-Flat beds and an onboard lounge/bar for Business Class passengers
-Plenty of space and over 1,000 channels of entertainment for Economy Class passengers
-Mood lighting and a quieter cabin to combat the effects of jetlag

You can view Emirates’ video of A380 features here.

The layout of the plane consists of 14 First Class seats, 76 Business Class seats, and 399 Economy Class seats. First and Business class (including the amenities mentioned above) will be located on the second deck of the aircraft, while the first deck consists solely of Economy Class seats. This also means that passengers flying in Economy will have more legroom due to the arrangement of seats. At Emirates’ hub in Dubai, premium passengers will board directly to the second deck from their own dedicated departure lounge.

Of course, today also marks the addition of another aircraft to the SimAirline.net network as Emirates Virtual adds the A380 to its list, our first such ever operation with the aircraft. Currently, the only flight available is between Dubai and New York Kennedy, but this will soon change when Emirates starts A380 service to London Heathrow on 1 December and to Sydney and Auckland on 1 February. By then, the airline is scheduled to have five superjumbos in service. When the remaining 53 A380s begin arriving next September (with higher seating capacities of 519 and 604), additional destinations will be added. The aircraft will eventually play an integral role in the carrier's ambitious network expansion, serving all the major cities in the Emirates' six–continent network.

Other future A380 operators at SimAirline.net are British Airways (2012), China Southern (2009), Korean Air (2010), Thai (2010), and Virgin Atlantic (2013). Full files for the aircraft are not yet available on our site, but will be shortly.

Enjoy flying the A380!

This topic is being discussed on the Message Boards.

Emirates Orders 30 A330s, 30 A350s

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:01:41 -0700

Emirates has opted to exercise its 30 options for A350s, bringing its total orders for the type up to 100. At the same time, Emirates ordered 30 A330-300s; it currently operates 29 A330-200s. The first A350 (it has -900s and -1000s on order) will be delivered in 2014. A timeframe for the first A330-300 delivery was not announced.

Emirates A380 Makes Heathrow Debut

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:32:00 -0700

Emirates unveiled its one-third A380 model, the largest aircraft model in the world, at Heathrow yesterday on the former site of British Airways' Concorde model. The model, twice the size of the Concorde model, is passed by 25 million people per year driving to Heathrow. At the unveiling, Emirates President Tim Clark said, "The gateway to the world's busiest international airport is a fitting home for Emirates. We expect this landmark site to become an icon for both Heathrow and Emirates. While the previous Concorde model represented the past, our A380 represents the future—and it is a future of cleaner, quieter aircraft."

Emirates begins A380 service early next month with the first service to New York Kennedy, although Heathrow is second; the first flight will be on 1 December. Curiously, the 79-foot model was delivered on board an Antonov An-124, the largest aircraft ever mass produced prior to the A380.

This topic is being discussed on the Message Boards. Videos of the occasion can be seen here.

Emirates Virtual Soars to New Heights

nospam@example.com (Dennis Negrón) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:33:00 -0700

I'm proud to announce that, thanks to you, Emirates Virtual has been receiving record numbers of PIREPs since February. The long-standing record was 93 flights set back in May 2006, which was broken in February with 120 flights. In March a new record was set with 136 PIREPs, and again in April with 147. As if that weren't enough, in May Emirates Virtual set another all-time high of 164 PIREPs.

All of this can be attributed to certain aircraft like the Boeing 777-300ER, which was part of over half (248) of all Emirates PIREPs during the last four months. To put that in context, the next most flown aircraft during the same time period was the A330-200 with 100 flights.

With the recent addition of the Boeing 777-200LR, I'm hopeful Emirates Virtual will be able to once again break a record in June. Once again, thank you for making Emirates Virtual the virtual airline it is today and remember: Keep Discovering.

Happy flying!

Keep Discovering…with the 777-200LR

nospam@example.com (Dennis Negrón) — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:08:26 -0700

I'm pleased to announce that Emirates Virtual now has a 777-200LR available for you to fly, thanks to fellow member Yvan Ung, who corrected some inaccuracies in the textures. This opens the door for a number of longhaul flights previously unavailable.

Now, you may be wondering how it was that we manage to find one? The truth is, we never did find one. Through some research and tinkering with the textures, I was able to combine the 777-200LR FDE file, the Emirates 777-200ER's fuselage, and the Emirates 777-300ER's wings, producing a 777-200LR. (The real plane is exactly like this—its wings are as long as the -300ER's with a fuselage as long as the -200ER.) The inaccuracies mentioned above were that the plane had no winglet textures, and the colors weren't identical where the wings and fuselage met. Nevertheless, these have been addressed and the aircraft is now available on the site.

Happy flying!

Emirates: In-Flight Cell Phone Use Today, Showers for A380s

nospam@example.com (Aaron Robinson) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:14:12 -0700

Emirates began offering regular cell phone use on its aircraft last week using the AeroMobile system. The service will be installed across Emirates' fleet and will only be available at cruising altitude. As with current seatback phone technology, the number of calls possible at one time is limited, and flight attendants will be able to prevent calls during announcements or at night. Silent/vibrate mode will be strongly encouraged.

In addition, Emirates will reportedly offer showers on its to-be-delivered A380s. "The water certainly won't be recycled," and the showers would be cleaned between use.