While waiting for the 777X, Emirates will refit 220 of its aircraft
Emirates Airline has decided not to wait for the aircraft industry to maintain and expand its flight network and will invest about US$5 billion in the refit of 220 of its aircraft, that is, the majority of them.
“We have no choice,” Tim Clark, president of the UAE airline, said on Wednesday. “This one is the only way we could sustain the network, grow the network.”
With hundreds of backlogged orders for widebodies such as the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 and 777, Clark said the carrier has always sought to be at the forefront of aircraft but that supply chain issues have forced the company to look for alternatives.
“The engineering groups are working at a pace to get these aircraft turned around as quickly as possible. We have most of the parts now that we need to do it,” said the Briton.
Emirates Airlines currently has 260 commercial jets, including three A350-900s, 140 777s (10 of them freighters) and 116 A380s.
The Airbus double-decker giant is an example of the path taken by the airline.
After the planemaker ended production of the A380, Emirates itself decided to keep them in service for longer, investing in a supply chain so that they can fly until the mid-2040s.
Asked about Boeing’s plans to certify the 777-9 by the end of the year and begin deliveries in October to Lufthansa, Clark was again skeptical.
For him, it is not clear when the US manufacturer will be able to meet the requirements for increased production. Emirates is the largest customer for the 777X family.
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