It was not the best kept secret in the industry, but when Emirates announced a record $19 billion order for Airbus and Boeing widebody aircraft at the show yesterday, there were plenty of stunned looks on executives' faces.
The biggest order in civil aviation history - as revealed in Flight Daily News on Sunday - saw the Dubai airline place orders for 71 new widebody aircraft.
They included another 23 Airbus A380 mega-jumbos, 21 being purchased and two on lease.
The order brings Emirates' A380 fleet to 45, by far the most ordered by any airline. Interestingly, having opted for the Pratt & Whitney/GE Engine Alliance GP7200 for its early orders, it is throwing open the engine deal for the new aircraft to a fresh competition.
Launch
Yesterday also saw Emirates become the launch customer for the Airbus A340-600 Higher Gross Weight aircraft, ordering 18 of the aircraft.
It also plans to lease two A340-600s from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) and to buy two more ultra-long range A340-500s.
Down the road at Boeing, there were celebrations as well, as Emirates announced operating lease orders for 26 Boeing 777-300ERs, 14 from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and 12 from the ILFC.
Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, said: "We need many more aircraft to continue our plans to become a truly global airline, and had already announced a major aircraft order at the 2001 Dubai international airshow.
"Now we are placing more multi-billion orders and have chosen A380s, A340s and 777s to meet exceptionally strong demand from passengers and cargo customers.
Reserves
"We will fund them from our own reserves, from banks and international investors, and through operating leases."
Emirates revealed more of its plans for operating its fleet of A380 aircraft.
It plans to use four versions: a 533-seat three class aircraft; a 653-seat two class version; a freighter version and a 500-seater able to fly non-stop from Dubai to Australia.
The A380 will enter service in 2006, with delivery of the A340-500 in the same year and the A340-600s from June 2007.
Airbus president and chief executive Noel Forgeard said: "Emirates has clearly shown its ability to turn vision into reality, as its growth and success over almost two decades has shown. We are pleased and proud that the A340 and the A380 families have again been chosen to play a key role in its future."
At Boeing, Alan Mulally, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: "We are thrilled with this selection of our Boeing 777-300ER by Emirates, one of the world's premier airlines. This is a great example of a broad, industry solution that expands the customer base of our longer-range 777s in a very fast-growing region of the world."
The 777-300ER orders represent only four new builds for Boeing, as most of the aircraft will be taken from inventories already held by ILFC and GECAS.
"By using operating leases we avoid burdening ourselves with large amounts of debt," said Sheikh Ahmed, "and we are delighted to be working with the two major aviation leasing companies, GECAS and ILFC."
Sheikh Ahmed has led Emirates through a crash programme of growth aimed at turning Dubai into "the airport hub of the 21st century" and in support of the Gulf country's plans to attract 10 million tourists a year by 2010, up from the current 3.5 million.
Referring to the Airbus order, he said: "Airbus's A340-500, -600 and the A380 are the best solution for the increase in capacity, range and economy that we need to satisfy our rapid passenger growth and ever-expanding network.
"We especially like the go-anywhere flexibility of the four-engined A340-500 and -600, which will take the world's longest routes in their stride.
"We are also excited by the ability to carry more passengers in the A380 and by its outstanding economics - in fact we could already use some of them today."
Source: Flight Daily News
