Dubai: Emirates marked a milestone in its fleet expansion efforts on Thursday after receiving the last Boeing 777-300ER aircraft it had ordered.
The A6-EQP is the 190th 777 aircraft to be delivered to Emirates, the world’s largest operator of long-range wide-body twin-engine jets.
The only carrier to have operated all six variants of the Boeing 777 family, Emirates welcomed the first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft into its fleet in March 2005 and over the last 13 years, the jet has become the backbone of the airline’s fleet. The final delivery is also the the 146th Boeing 777-300ER acquired by Emirates.
“The Boeing 777-300ER has been a cornerstone of Emirates’ success story as the world’s largest international airline,” said Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline.
“The aircraft’s efficiency, range and payload capabilities have enabled us to connect our customers across six continents to and through Dubai.”
From 2020, Emirates will start taking delivery of 35 Boeing 777-8s and 777-9s. These next generation aircraft will have a more fuel efficient design and will feature larger windows, increased cabin pressure and humidity, higher ceilings, wider cabin and an advanced inflight entertainment system.
Emirates’ Boeing 777 fleet has carried close to 350 million passengers on more than 1.28 million flights and covered over 6.6 billion kilometres since 1996. That’s the equivalent of flying almost 8,600 times to the moon and back.
The airline recently unveiled brand-new cabins for its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft including the “game-changing” fully-enclosed private suites in the first class, as well as newly-designed seats and improved inflight entertainment systems in the business and economy class cabins.
Emirates has also started a programme to reconfigure its 10 Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, installing new wider business class seats, as well as a completely refreshed economy class for improved passenger comfort.
Since 2009, Emirates has also been operating the Boeing 777-F dedicated freighter aircraft to facilitate global trade. With a capacity of over 100 tonnes per flight, Emirates’ fleet of 13 Boeing 777-Fs move a variety of cargo, including heavy and outsized shipments, pharmaceuticals, flowers and race horses on scheduled weekly flights to over 40 global destinations. In 2017, Emirates’ Boeing 777-F aircraft also executed more than 370 charter flights over and above regular operations.