Emirates (EK, Dubai International) has increased its investment in fleet refurbishment programs to $4 billion in response to ongoing aircraft delivery delays, as stated by Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Adel Al Redha.
During this week’s Aviation Future Week in Dubai, Al Redha announced that Emirates plans to refurbish over 200 B777s and A380-800s. Since launching the program in 2022, the airline has completed refurbishments on 22 aircraft.
These statements come as Boeing announced that the first deliveries of the B777X will be postponed until 2026. Emirates has orders for thirty-five B777-8s and 170 B777-9s and has sought compensation from Boeing due to these delays.
In a recent statement shared with ch-aviation, Emirates President Tim Clark expressed skepticism about Boeing’s ability to provide accurate delivery forecasts for the B777X program due to ongoing issues. He indicated that without securing additional capital through a rights issue, Boeing might face an imminent investment downgrade with the possibility of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Recently, Boeing secured $10 billion in credit from lenders and plans to issue up to $25 billion in shares or debt over the next three years to manage its operational challenges.
In contrast to its frustrations with Boeing, Emirates has reportedly placed an order for additional B777-200 freighters, adding to its existing fleet of 12. According to Reuters, Emirates is the unidentified buyer of some recently added B777 freighters in Boeing’s public order data. This order is part of 11 additional freighter units added to Boeing’s backlog before the announcement of the latest B777X delivery delays.
On the Airbus front, Al Redha stated that the first of sixty-five A350-900s is expected to arrive in November, and it will initially be used on the Dubai-Edinburgh route. The entry into service was originally scheduled for August, then postponed to September before being set for November.
“The aircraft is in the final stages of testing, and everything is progressing well,” Al Redha noted. “Once the aircraft arrives, it will operate the Edinburgh flights, and as we acquire more aircraft, we will expand into more destinations in India and the Gulf region.”
Photo by Alexi Van Damme CEO and Founder AX Media Thailand
