One of the world’s largest airline companies based in Dubai, Emirates Airlines, recently came forth with a positive financial outlook report for the year 2013. In estimates, the company said it expected a rise in income by about 18% to 20%, in line with the grand opening of the world’s premier concourse for Airbus A380 superjumbos.
The estimates, as relayed to reporters by Tim Clark, the carrier’s President, were mostly optimistic for the Middle East’s largest market player. The first two quarters of this fiscal year however, saw the company record a profit increase by 100% with figures at 1.7 billion dirhams, up from 836 million the previous year.
Clark also mentioned that there had been an accounting downturn of about 3.9 billion reported in March 2012, down from the carrier’s peak performance in 2011 (5.4 billion). He however pointed towards the likelihood of the company owning 210 aircrafts by spring of next year. Even so, he signaled that purchases would be made only if the carrier’s hub would accommodate more A380s.
Full operations at the world’s first superjumbo dedicated facility, Concourse A, were meanwhile announced by Dubai Airports. The facility, tipped to have 20 double-deck aircraft gates, is thus far largely exploited by Emirates which already has 31 functioning planes and 59 more to do so soon.
By far, the largest customer, Emirates, also stated their contentment with US manufacturer’s technical expertise to handle battery problems that have plagued the 787 Dreamliners. In Clark’s words, Boeing is a “formidable corporation” with the capacity to sort out the issues basing on its expertise in aircraft manufacture. Even though the carrier hasn’t invested on any 787, it highlighted that the design was prospective and that it would be sorted out sooner or later.
Concourse A with an 11-storey design has increased Dubai International’s handling capacity by 15 million more people while being set to be used by Emirates as Terminal 3. It has also been put up for use by the Qantas A380 from Australia through a partnership deal between the two players although still pending approval from the latter’s competition watchdog.
The building is part of a multibillion dollar project by Dubai Airports to strategically increase the hub’s capacity to 90 million flyers before 2018. The hub owes its positive transformation to Emirates, which is arguably the biggest competition to legacy airlines, all the way from its initial leased planes (two) in 1985.
Presently, it boasts of a Boeing aircraft and a massive 197 wide-bodied airbuses not mentioning its record transportation records from the year 2011-2012 where it moved 1.8 million tons of cargo over and above 34 million passengers.