Emirates takes delivery of first Airbus A340-300

Emirates has taken delivery of the first of eight Airbus A340-300 aircraft which are joining its fleet this year to meet customer demand on key longhaul routes from Dubai.

Emirates has signed nine-year leases for the fleet with Boeing Aircraft Trading, which acquired them from Singapore Airlines as part of a wider deal. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates Chairman, explained: “Even with one of the world’s biggest order books, we urgently need more aircraft.

“Dubai is fast emerging as the new 21st century global airline hub, thanks in large part to our visionary government, and this move will help us meet ever-rising demand for our service, as even the 71 aircraft we have ordered for delivery by 2012 are not sufficient.

“The new jets, similar in many respects to our future Airbus A340-500s and 600s, will fit seamlessly into our fleet and help us continue to give our passengers the very best value for money,” Sheikh Ahmed said.

The formal handover to Tim Clark, President of the Dubai-based international airline, followed major checks, repainting and preparations for conversion by Hamburg-based maintenance, repair and overhaul specialists Lufthansa Technik AG.

Mr Clark said: “Carrying out major checks and adding eight aircraft to our fleet in so short a time is a real challenge. In Lufthansa Technik we have a partner familiar with the jets and extremely experienced at projects such as this.”

The new aircraft can seat up to 12 people in First, 42 in Business and 213 in Economy. When full, and with 10 tonnes of freight, they can travel non-stop for 10,200 km, for instance, from Dubai to Japan.

Their cabins will now be converted to Emirates’ standards by aerospace firms in France and Germany before they enter service with the award-winning airline from 1st March on routes from Dubai to Shanghai, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Perth and Osaka.