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Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2015

Guess who I bumped into at work! Sorry @ivygoh_ you still have to take more calcium. 😂

A photo posted by Amelia Wong (@a_meliaw) on Sep 19, 2015 at 1:46am PDT

Etihad Airways to avoid Iraqi conflict airspace

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways announced on Saturday (Aug 9) that it will reroute flights over Iraq in the wake of US air strikes on Islamist State (IS) fighters there. "Etihad Airways has announced that it will reroute its flights to avoid conflict airspace in Iraq," a statement by the carrier said.

"The decision follows the deterioration of the security situation in parts of the country. The safety of Etihad Airways' passengers and staff is of paramount importance, and the airline will continue to monitor the security situation closely."

On Thursday, Etihad also said it was suspending flights to Iraqi Kurdistan's capital of Arbil because of fighting in northern Iraq. The first US air strikes on Friday struck IS positions and at least one convoy of vehicles carrying militants west of Arbil. However, "flights to Basra and Baghdad, which have a daily risk assessment, continue to operate as normal," Etihad said on Saturday.

Dubai's Emirates Airline also announced on Saturday that it has "immediately" suspended its flights to Arbil due to the "security situation there," in a statement carried by the UAE's official WAM news agency. Daily flights to Basra and four weekly flights to Baghdad will however continue, the airline said, adding that it is "closely following developments" in restive Iraq.

Emirates had already announced last month that it will no longer fly over Iraq.

The Federal Aviation Administration in Washington banned all US civilian flights over Iraq just hours after American warplanes on Friday bombed positions held by the jihadists, who have occupied swathes of northern Iraq.

British Airways has said it will no longer fly over Iraq, as have Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Swiss - joining Air France, Emirates, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, which quietly opted to do so over the past two weeks.

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Emirates airline says it will not fly over Iraq

Emirates will stop flying over Iraq due to concerns over missile attacks following the MH17 air disaster in Ukraine, the airline's president Tim Clark told The Times on Monday (July 28).

Almost 300 people aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 died when it came down in eastern Ukraine nearly two weeks ago, with Washington and Europe claiming it was shot down by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile fired by pro-Moscow militants.

"This is a political animal but... the fact of the matter is MH17 changed everything, and that was very nearly in European airspace," Clark told The Times in an interview published on Monday. "We cannot continue to say, 'Well it's a political thing'. We have to do something. We have to take the bull by the horns."

Clark predicted other carriers would also decide to stop flying over Iraq, as the global airline industry reviews the risk of overflying combat zones.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a Boeing 777 aircraft, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 298 people aboard on July 17 when it was downed close to the village of Grabove, in the rebellion-wracked region of Donetsk in east Ukraine.

"The horrors that this created was a kick in the solar plexus for all of us," Clark told the daily paper. "Nevertheless having got through it we must take stock and deal with it."

On Sunday meanwhile, the commercial director of Malaysia Airlines called for a complete overhaul of the way flight paths are deemed safe following the plane's downing by a suspected missile. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Hugh Dunleavy said the disaster would have "an unprecedented impact on the aviation industry", claiming that airlines can no longer depend on aviation authorities for reliable information about flying over conflict zones.

"For too long, airlines have been shouldering the responsibility for making decisions about what constitutes a safe flight path, over areas in political turmoil around the world," he wrote. "We are not intelligence agencies, but airlines, charged with carrying passengers in comfort between destinations."

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Emirates finalises order for 150 Boeing planes worth US$56b

Dubai's Emirates Airline has finalised an order for 150 Boeing 777 planes valued at US$56 billion at list prices, the US manufacturer said on Wednesday in Dubai.

The planes, comprising 115 777-9Xs and 35 777-8Xs, were initially ordered during the Dubai Airshow in November 2013, when the largest operator of the long haul airliner took also purchase rights for 50 additional planes.

The value of the deal could increase to US$75 billion at list prices if Emirates firms up its right to purchase the additional planes, Boeing said in a statement issued in Dubai.

"With the order for 150 777Xs, Emirates now has 208 Boeing 777s pending delivery, creating and securing jobs across the supply chain," said Emirates president Tim Clark in the statement, adding that Emirates already flies 138 Boeing 777 planes.

"We are extremely proud to have Emirates, the world's largest 777 operator, continue its long-standing partnership with Boeing by becoming the largest launch customer for the 777X," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Ray Conner in the statement.

Boeing said the 777X will introduce the latest technologies including "the most advanced commercial engine ever," the GE9X by GE Aviation, and an all-new high efficiency composite wing that has a longer span than today's 777.

Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing carriers, is also the largest single customer of Airbus' long-haul double-decker A380.

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Emirates cancels order for 70 Airbus planes

Emirates airline delivered a huge blow to European aerospace group Airbus on Wednesday, cancelling an order for 70 new-generation A350 airliners -- a deal that analysts estimate to be worth about a tenth of the aircraft maker's 2014 orders.

The long-distance aircraft, due to go into service this year, is the Airbus flagship project of the moment to compete with the Boeing 787 which has been flying since 2011.

The size of the cancellation is the biggest-ever by a prestigious customer for a civil airliner.

Airbus said that the cancellation followed an order placed by Emirates at the Dubai air show in November for an extra 50 A380 superjumbo planes.

The cancellation decision was made following "on-going discussions with the airline in light of their fleet requirement review", Airbus said.

The deal was said to be worth US$16.5 billion (12 billion euros) when it was announced in 2007, but Airbus said that customers were already interested in taking up the cancelled aircraft.

The sudden announcement by Emirates, a powerful player in the expanding Gulf airline industry, sent Airbus Group shares down 5.5 per cent to 11.22 euros.

And in London, aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce warned that the decision would cut the value of its order book by 2.6 billion pounds (3.2 billion euros, US$4.3 billion).

The cancellation "amounts to eleven per cent of orders which Airbus expects to take in 2014," said analyst Christophe Menard at brokers KeplerChevreux.

The airliner business accounts for the main part of activities by Airbus Group, formerly EADS, and the head of its sales division John Leahy said: "It's not good news commercially but it has no impact financially."

Opening an innovation show by Airbus at its headquarters in Toulouse, Leahy, who has played a major role in the rise of Airbus over the years, said that he had time to find other customers for the cancelled planes which were due to be delivered from 2019.

He had only just heard of the cancellation, he said, so the decision was not a direct counter-balance to the order placed in Dubai.

"I am amazed that we already have enquiries, there is already a queue of people," he said.

In Dubai, Emirates also ordered 150 Boeing very-long-haul 777-8 and 777-9 airliners which are due to enter service from 2020. It also took an option on another 50 of this version.

Emirates was not available for comment on Wednesday.

Airlines had been making massive aircraft orders in anticipation of a pick-up in air traffic as advanced economies recover from a slump and with emerging economies expected to deliver a boost in demand.

The future Boeing 777 series and the Airbus A350 are competitors in what is known as the medium, twin-engined segment, the heart of the market, said analyst Scott Hamilton at Boeing's home base in Seattle in Washington State.

The decision affects nearly 10 per cent of the orders for the new Airbus long-haul aircraft which is going through the processes for obtain airworthiness certification.

Airbus added that it was still very confident in the A350 programme and said that it had orders from 28 airlines for 742 aircraft six months ahead of the plane entering service.

A notable feature of the plane is that the fuselage is made mainly of composite materials.

"The programme of test flights for the A350 is progressing well and is on schedule for certification (by the Aviation Authorities) in the coming months," said Airbus.

Emirates had ordered 50 A350-900 and 20 stretched A350-1000 aircraft in 2007, marking the second-biggest order by volume for the A350 plane after 80 ordered by Qatar Airways.

Singapore Airlines has also ordered 70 A350 planes.

Scott Hamilton said that the cancellation could leave a gap in the Emirates fleet which would give Boeing an opportunity to sell its 777-300R model which is available for delivery from 2017.

Emirates could decide to increase substantially its fleet of these Boeing planes rather than take up a new model.

Menard said that in all probability, Emirates had decided to streamline its fleet and focus on the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777 series.

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Emirates rules out financial lifeline for Qantas

Emirates president Tim Clark said he is carefully watching developments at alliance partner Qantas, but ruled out throwing a financial lifeline to the embattled Australian flag carrier, in comments reported on Monday.

Earlier this month, Qantas forecast a half-year loss of up to Aus$300 million (US$269 million) and said it would axe 1,000 jobs, leading to a credit downgrade from Standard & Poor's, which cut its rating to "junk" status.

Qantas blamed its predicament on record fuel costs and fierce competition from subsidised rivals, particularly Virgin Australia, which is majority owned by state-backed Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and Etihad.

Chief Alan Joyce has been lobbying the government to relax the Qantas Sale Act, which limits foreign ownership in the national carrier to 49 percent, arguing the cap hurts its ability to compete, particularly against Virgin Australia.

But even if the government decides to lift the foreign ownership restrictions, which it has indicated is possible, Clark said he would not be pumping in any cash.

In an emailed statement to the West Australian newspaper, published Monday, Clark said he "would watch it (the situation) carefully" but Emirates did not have the "bottomless pit of cash" Virgin Australia's partner Etihad Airways had.

"So no, equity is not on the table," Clark said.

Emirates formalised an alliance with Qantas earlier this year, seen as vital to the sustainability of the Australian airline.

It allows both carriers to combine operations for an initial period of five years, including coordinating ticket prices and schedules.

The deal also opened up Qantas's lucrative Australian domestic network of more than 50 destinations to Emirates customers.

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Airlines increase baggage allowance: worth the weight?

Hot on the heels of Emirates and Qantas Airways, legacy carriers like Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia recently announced a 10-kilogramme extra baggage allowance for passengers across all classes.

While analysts say other carriers might soon be pressured to do the same in order to keep up, at the end of the day, it still comes down to dollars and cents.

Asia Pacific airlines are hoping to hit the sweet spot with more customers by upping the baggage allowance, starting from at least an extra seven kilogrammes in economy class.

Qatar Airways also added an extra seven kilogrammes for its economy class passengers, from 23 to 30 kilogrammes in September 2013. Emirates extended the baggage allowance in 2009 and Etihad Airways upped theirs in 2012.

"It's ironic that many of these legacy carriers that have been picky with passengers for being overweight in terms of their baggage and suddenly, because of the intense competition from low-cost carriers, they're saying ‘here's another 10-kilogramme allowance’. I don't think it will make much of a difference," said Shukor Yusof, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s capital IQ.

"Most people travelling nowadays travel very lightly. They don't need a lot of baggage. But if you're allowing 10 kilogrammes, I think it is negligible. In the whole context of whether it is going to increase your bottom-line, I don't think it will have any impact at all. What will impact is whether or not fuel prices will stay low."

Travellers typically have to pay for checked-in baggage in a low-cost carrier (LCC). But that playing field is changing with the likes of Thai domestic LCCs such as Nok Air and Thai Lion Air that offer free 15-kilogramme baggage limits, effectively competing with the free 20-kilogramme allowance offered by most legacy carriers.

Besides Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Qantas Airways have also increased their baggage allowance for their customers on certain routes.

But analysts say this will not go very far in terms of increasing the airlines' bottom-line. Rather, they say these full serviced carriers should work on enhancing other product offerings to stand out from the competition.

“There are many other ways to compete. In-flight entertainment is one, more comfortable seating is another, greater choice in terms of selection of the type of services that you want and the type that you don't need, and this should result in a lower-price ticket,” said Paul Ng, global head of aviation at Stephenson Harwood.

"For SIA, they already provide the best service in economy in the region; you've got food, drink service, excellent in-flight entertainment,” said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at Flight Global.

“Unfortunately a lot of the time when people choose air tickets, they choose to buy on price and that's always going to be a challenge for airlines like this. You can always throw things at the customer but it's always going to come back to people's wallets. "

Baggage and ticket prices aside, experts say it all boils down to the cost of fuel that will ultimately affect the airlines' bottom-line. 

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Boeing dominates Airbus with US$101.5b orders at Dubai show

US aerospace giant Boeing on Wednesday announced up to US$101.5 billion in aircraft orders at the Dubai Air Show, as its new 777X model propelled total demand to more than twice that booked by European rival Airbus.

More than US$95 billion of the Boeing orders were for the 777X long-haul aircraft, making it the "largest product launch in commercial jetliner history by value", said the firm.

European giant Airbus meanwhile totted up orders worth US$44 billion, with Emirates placing the biggest by value worth US$20 billion for 50 A380s.

The total takings of about US$145 billion by the two rivals at Dubai were about twice those recorded at the Paris Air Show in June, when Airbus announced US$39.3 billion in orders and Boeing unveiled US$38 billion for a total of about US$77.0 billion.

Boeing's performance in Dubai was underpinned by demand for its new 777X, which was snapped up by Middle Eastern airlines.

Dubai's flagship Emirates placed an order worth US$55.6 billion for 115 777-9X aircraft designed to carry more than 400 passengers. It also ordered 35 777-8Xs, which has a capacity of 350 passengers.

Etihad Airways ordered 17 of the bigger model and eight of the smaller 777-8X, while Qatar Airways bought 50 777-9Xs worth US$18.9 billion.

Boeing claims that the aircraft, which is to enter service around 2020, would be 12 per cent more fuel efficient than the Airbus A350.

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Boeing, Airbus clinch mega orders at Dubai

Dubai Airshow took off on Sunday with huge aircraft orders and commitments worth around $141.5 billion for Boeing and Airbus from Gulf carriers, with the US manufacturer well in the lead.

The biennial show began brightly for Boeing's 777X, a long-range wide-bodied airliner featuring lower fuel consumption and composite wings.

The new 777 is scheduled to be operational in 2020.

Etihad Airways began the show with an $18.2-billion order for Boeings including 25 777Xs and one 777-200 freighter, Boeing said.

The deal also included an order for 30 787 Dreamliners, making the fast-growing carrier the largest single customer for the medium-body plane.

The Abu Dhabi carrier also announced it was taking an option to buy another 26 aircraft from Boeing.

The total value of the order, including engines and options, amounts to $25.2 billion, according to Etihad.

Emirates Airline followed shortly afterwards by placing orders with both the rival US and European manufacturers, in twin deals valued at $99 billion.

Of this sum, 80 per cent is destined for Boeing's coffers if commitments are confirmed.

The Dubai-based airline ordered 150 777Xs -- 35 777-8Xs and 115 of the 777-9X variant.

Boeing said the Emirates orders were commitments worth $55.6 billion.

The Middle East's largest carrier also boosted the Airbus sales sheet with a firm order for 50 A380 superjumbos worth $20 billion at book value, in the double-decker's first sale this year.

The order cements the status of Emirates as the single largest operator of the long-haul airliner, its chief Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said.

"Emirates has understood from the start the A380's advantages in terms of efficiency, economics and passenger comfort," Fabrice Bregier, Airbus chief and president, told the signing ceremony.

Airbus has been struggling to sell its A380 superjumbo.

Sales of the world's largest commercial aircraft suffered in 2012 after hairline cracks were discovered on A380 wings. Just nine were sold last year, down from an initial order of 30.

Airbus also clinched a $19-billion deal with Etihad, which ordered 87 aircraft including 50 extra-wide-body A350 XWBs.

The order comprises 40 long-haul A350-900s, 10 A350-1000s, one A330-200 freighter, in addition to 26 A321neo and 10 A320neo single-aisle planes, in addition to an option for 30 more aircraft.

Emirates budget sister company also made a commitment to buy up to 100 Boeing single-aisled 737 MAX and 11 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800s, in a deal valued by Boeing at $8.8-billion.

Qatar Airways also chipped in by signing a letter of intent to buy 50 Boeing 777Xs worth $19 billion.

The Doha-based airline said it had also ordered five A330 freighters from Airbus, valued at about $1 billion according to list prices.

The order was accompanied by an option to add eight airliners, which would put the overall price of the deal at $2.8 billion, chief executive Akbar Al-Baker said.

The Qatar Airways chief praised Boeing's 777 long-haul workhorse as he made a surprise appearance at the joint Emirates-Boeing briefing.

The Triple Seven has been a bestseller since it was launched in the 1990s, with 1,473 sold by November 12.

Boeing is fielding the 777X to counter Airbus's long-haul A350-1000.

This aircraft is anticipated to enter service in 2017 with a passenger payload of 350, threatening Boeing's predominance in the long-haul market.

Etihad on Sunday also announced it is acquiring a 33.3 per cent stake in Swiss carrier Darwin Airline which it plans to rebrand as Etihad Regional after the deal receives regulatory approval.

At the 2007 Dubai Airshow, sales of $155 billion were announced, and analysts have projected that orders this time could nudge that record.

In June, the Paris air show at Le Bourget racked up $115 billion in announced sales at catalogue prices.

The 13th Dubai Airshow, which runs until Thursday, is being held for the first time at the just opened Al-Maktoum International, the emirate's second airport and touted to become the world's biggest when complete.

With some 150 aircraft on the tarmac and 1,000 exhibitors, the show cements the Gulf region's hard-won position as the global hub for 21st century travel, spearheaded by booming airlines whose reach encompasses the world.

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Emirates posts modest H1 profit due to rising fuel cost

Dubai's Emirates Airline on Tuesday posted a two percent increase in half yearly profits, blaming high fuel costs and an "unfavourable" currency exchange environment for the slow growth.

The carrier's net profits in the first half of the fiscal year to March 31, 2014 stood at 1.7 billion dirhams ($475 million), "up two percent from the same period last year," Emirates said in a statement.

"High fuel prices, accounting for 39 percent of our expenditures, and the unfavourable currency exchange environment continue to eat into our profits," said Emirates chief executive officer, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum.

Revenues for the airline reached $10.8 billion, 12 percent up from $9.6 billion in the corresponding period last year.

The airline that operates the world's largest fleet of A380s and the largest fleet of Boeing 777s, said its Passenger Seat Factor averaged 79.2 percent, slightly below last year's 79.7 percent.

Emirates flies to 137 destinations in 77 countries, up from 126 cities last year in 74 countries.

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Emirates Airlines sees 2012-13 income up 18-20%

Dubai's Emirates Airlines said its year to March 2013 income is seen rising by 18 to 20 per cent, as the Gulf emirate officially opened the world's first concourse dedicated to Airbus A380 superjumbos.

The biggest carrier in the Middle East will see "an 18 to 20 per cent income rise this year," Tim Clark, president of Emirates told reporters.

For the first six months of the current fiscal year the airlines' net profit jumped by 104 per cent to 1.7 billion dirhams ($464 million) from 836 million dirhams in the corresponding period of the previous year.

In the year to March 2012 Emirates had posted a net profit of 1.5 billion dirhams, down from 5.4 billion dirhams in the previous accounting year.

Clark said the fast-growing airline expects to have a fleet of some 210 aircraft by spring 2014.

Dubai Airports, meanwhile, said its Concourse A, which is the world's first facility built to serve the Airbus A380 superjumbo, had become fully operational.

The concourse features 20 gates compatible with the double-deck aircraft for which Emirates is the largest single customer with 31 planes in service and 59 others on order.

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After Etihad Airlines posting a very good performance in profits, Emirates is next to announce their rise in income. Nothing seems to be stopping them.

More services as Qantas broadens reach in Asia

Australian flag-carrier Qantas Monday announced plans to broaden its reach in Asia as part of a strategy to turn around its struggling international arm, with several extra destinations being considered.

The move is a consequence of its global alliance with Dubai-based Emirates, which means its services to Asia will no longer be tied to onward links to Europe.

New direct destinations from Australia being considered include Beijing, Seoul, Mumbai, Delhi and Tokyo-Haneda, while increasing capacity and frequency of flights to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Qantas International chief executive Simon Hickey said Asia was a key pillar of the company's future.

"Our first step has been to restructure existing services to Asia now that they are no longer tied to onward links to Europe," he said.

"The number of dedicated seats on Qantas services to Hong Kong and Singapore is increasing significantly, because capacity previously set aside for customers going to Europe via these hubs can be freed up.

"The joint Qantas-Emirates network into Asia gives our customers a fresh set of options, including double daily services to Singapore from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane," he added.

"The maturing Jetstar network gives travellers another set of alternatives once they land in Asia."

As part of the plan, from March 31 arrival times into Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore will be brought forward by up to three hours to increase the number of onward connections while Kuala Lumpur will added as a destination.

The other new destinations are not likely until 2016.

Other changes will see Qantas cease its Adelaide-Singapore and Perth-Hong Kong services but boost Brisbane-Hong Kong flights from four per week to seven, and add four additional weekly Sydney-Singapore services.

The airline has also brought forward the end date for its loss-making Frankfurt flights by six months to 15 April.

Australia's competition watchdog last month gave Qantas and Emirates permission to launch their global alliance in which the airlines will coordinate ticket prices and flight schedules.

Qantas will shift its hub for European flights to Dubai from Singapore while ending its partnership with British Airways on the so-called kangaroo route to London.

The tie-up is seen as vital to the sustainability of Qantas, which last year posted its first annual deficit since privatisation in 1995 due to tough regional competition and high fuel costs for its international arm.

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With the seats freed up after the collaboration with Emirates, Qantas can now sell now tickets on flights to Asian destinations namely Singapore and Hong Kong. This doesn't sound too good for Cathay Pacific and SIA unless their fares can be competitive to Qantas'. However, there will also be flights from Adelaide and Perth which will be cancelled by Qantas, and that means they SIA and CX will be capitalizing on the demand from these two destinations.

Qantas, Emirates tie-up takes off

Australia's competition watchdog on Thursday gave Qantas and Emirates Airlines permission to launch their global alliance although final approval is still pending.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which gave the carriers preliminary approval in December to combine operations for an initial five years, said that practical sales, marketing and other steps could now start.

"The ACCC is allowing Qantas and Emirates to start implementing their alliance because of the long lead time required to market and sell tickets before the commencement of long-haul services," said ACCC chairman Rod Sims.

"In making its decision, the ACCC has accepted written assurances from the parties that should the ACCC ultimately decide not to allow the alliance to go ahead, the airlines will accommodate consumers' bookings."

The regulator said it anticipated making a final decision in March.

Under the proposal, which will be fully implemented from April, the airlines will coordinate ticket prices and flight schedules and Qantas will shift its hub for European flights to Dubai from Singapore.

It also means an end to Qantas's partnership with British Airways on the so-called kangaroo route to London, which has spanned nearly two decades.

The tie-up is seen as vital to the sustainability of Qantas, which last year posted its first annual deficit since privatisation in 1995 due to tough regional competition and high fuel costs for its international arm.

Sims said the ACCC had determined in December that "the public benefits resulting from the alliance are likely to outweigh the public detriment ... where Qantas and Emirates offer overlapping services".

But he said New Zealand had been identified as a key market where competition could be eroded by the Qantas-Emirates deal and the ACCC had therefore exempted it from the new permissions for now.

"The ACCC is granting interim authorisation on the condition that the applicants do not engage in the conduct for which authorisation is sought in relation to services between Australia and New Zealand," Sims said.

He added that the regulator "may review its decision on interim authorisation at any time and it should not be taken to be indicative of whether or not final authorisation will be granted".

Qantas chief Alan Joyce said the decision meant pricing, capacity and scheduling could now be coordinated with Emirates and one-stop trips could be booked across their combined networks, boosting tourism.

Once final approval is granted, Qantas will fly daily Airbus A380 services from Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai, meaning that the two airlines will operate 98 weekly services between Australia and the Emirates Gulf hub.

For Emirates customers, the alliance opens up Qantas's Australian domestic network of more than 50 destinations and nearly 5,000 flights per week.

Dubai Airports has earmarked $7.8 billion to further expand the capacity of the international travel hub and expects to handle 75 million passengers by 2015 and 98 million by 2020. Some 57 million passengers were expected to use Dubai International in 2012.

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Final approval will be made in March and both airlines can start the new collaboration in April. Exciting days ahead for both of them, a big change for Qantas in hope that this will turn their fortunes switching the hub to Dubai from Singapore.

As for Singapore's Changi Airport, a huge void will be left behind after Qantas switches over to Dubai. This space can probably be used to house more low cost carriers.

Emirates begins flights from Dubai superjumbo concourse

Dubai's Emirates Airlines began operations Wednesday from a $3 billion new concourse dedicated to Airbus' A380 superjumbos at the Gulf city-state's rapidly-expanding airport.

Concourse A, which cost $3 billion (2.3 billion euros) to build, gives Emirates -- one of the fastest-growing carriers -- an additional airport capacity of 15 million passengers a year, the company said.

The expansion takes place as the CAPA Centre for Aviation said Emirates could become this year the world's second-biggest carrier in terms of capacity, right after United Airlines, and way ahead of legacy European carriers.

Flight EK003 took off to London Heathrow from Concourse A, which will become "home of the Emirates A380," and add a capacity to handle 15 million passengers a year, said a statement by Emirates -- one of the world's fastest-growing carriers.

The new extension to Terminal 3, featuring 20 gates specifically designed to accommodate Airbus' longhaul airliners, will open gradually, with just four gates operational on Wednesday, Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths said in another statement.

"This is a historic and momentous occasion, marking another world first from Emirates," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman of Emirates and of Dubai Airports.

The government-owned carrier is the largest operator of A380, with a fleet of 31 and another 59 units on order.

The new concourse spreads across 11 floors with a total area of 528,000 square metres (5.7 million square feet). It cost $3 billion to build.

Dubai Airports has undertaken a $7.8 billion to further expand the capacity of the international travel hub, as it expects to handle 75 million passengers by 2015 and 98 million passengers by 2020.

It expected the number of passengers who used Dubai International airport in 2012 to be around 57 million.

The new facility will be available to A380 flights to Europe operated by Australia's Qantas, as per the global partnership announced recently and awaiting the approval of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Emirates said.

Emirates had moved its operations to Terminal 3 in 2008, when the new complex opened dedicated to the national carrier of Dubai, leaving the older Terminal One to foreign airlines.

The new facility will be available to A380 flights to Europe operated by Australia's Qantas, as per the global partnership announced recently and awaiting the approval of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Emirates said.

Emirates has a fleet of 195 wide-body Airbus and Boeing, and has some 204 units on orders worth more than $74 billion, it said. It flies to 128 destinations in 74 countries.

The carrier, which began operations in 1985 with two leased planes, has become a major competitor of legacy airlines, turning Dubai into a major transit hub for travel between Europe, Asia and Australasia.

Sydney-based CAPA said this week Emirates remained last year third in global ranking of world's airlines by capacity, with 4.993 billion available seat kilometres (ASKs), compared to 6.15 billion ASKs for United Airlines thanks to its merger with Continental, and 5.64 billion ASKs for Delta Air Lines.

But Emirates registered a whopping growth of 18.4 percent in ASKs last year, compared to a drop of 0.3 percent by Delta.

This put Emirates ahead of many traditional airlines, including British Airways, which was ranked seventh with 3.049 billion ASKs, and Air France, which followed with 2.825 billion ASKs.

Other Gulf carriers, vying to grab a chunk of the trans-continental travel market, followed behind. Qatar Airways rose to 17th place, with 1.798 billion ASKs, and Abu Dhabi's Etihad advanced to 28th, with 1.135 billion ASKs.

In addition to Dubai International Airport, the busiest regional hub, the city-state is developing another airport.

Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International has been open for cargo since 2010, but passenger operations have been repeatedly delayed.

The airport, launched at the height of Dubai's rapid economic growth, is touted to become the world's largest with a capacity to handle 160 million passengers annually.

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One huge step towards making Dubai an impressive travelling hub, where people in Asia and Europe connect. I would love to see the sight of many A380s being clustered in one area as that will actually be pretty spectacular.

Will SQ's A380 be allowed to use the concourse too? I guess CAG is currently facing the heat after Qantas dropped many European routes from Aussie via Singapore. The middle eastern airlines are picking up fast.

"Bang and flash" engine trouble hits Emirates A380

SYDNEY: An engine problem forced an Emirates A380 superjumbo to turn back to Sydney, the airline said on Monday, with passengers hearing a loud bang and seeing a flash of orange.

The pilot of the Dubai-bound Airbus plane carrying 380 passengers made the decision to turn back shortly after take-off on Sunday night.

"Emirates flight EK413 from Sydney to Dubai on November 11 turned back shortly after take-off due to an engine fault," the carrier said in a statement.

"Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused to its customers. However, the safety of our passengers and crew is of the highest priority and will not be compromised."

Fairfax journalist Matt Campbell was on the plane and told the Sydney Morning Herald the aircraft was still climbing.

"It seemed about half an hour into the flight when I saw a bright orange flash, heard a loud bang and there was a big thump through the cabin," he said.

"The flight attendants were rushing about through the cabin and then eventually the PA came on and the captain said there was an engine problem with engine number three and that engine had now been shut down."

An Emirates spokesman told AFP the carrier was still working on what caused the scare but admitted passengers may have "seen a flash and heard noise".

"There were no flames or smoke," he added, despite some passengers telling local media they saw fire.

"The pilot made a decision to turn back as a precaution."

Another passenger told Sydney's Daily Telegraph the Emirates flight attendants "panicked more than the passengers".

"Everyone was running left and right (with) no one knowing what's happened." Amal Aburawi, a doctor, told the tabloid, and said non-English speaking passengers were not properly informed about what was happening.

She said usually Arabic announcements followed the English but "this time no one mentioned anything in Arabic and there (were) many Arabic passengers, many of them old ladies."

Qantas, which recently sealed a major partnership with Emirates, had an engine explode on one of its A380s over Indonesia in November 2010.

The accident, during a flight from Singapore to Sydney, led the Australian carrier to temporarily ground its entire A380 superjumbo fleet.

Subsequent investigations pinpointed a manufacturing defect which caused fatigue cracking in an oil pipe, resulting in a fire and potentially catastrophic engine failure.

SOURCE

My instructor don't seem to have a good impression about the A380 either. After being in service since 2007, the engine problems are still evident, with the huge scare experienced by Qantas flight QF32 in 2010 as well as the cracks discovered on the wings.

This latest incident involving Emirates adds on to the list of troubles troubling the A380. Thank god nothing massive has hit Singapore Airlines' A380 yet and hopefully it never will.