Emirates seeks A380 and 747-8 weight control
By Victoria Moores
Emirates president Tim Clark is optimistic that Airbus A380
weight-reduction programme will be successful, but outstanding
weight concerns are hampering the airline from committing to the
Boeing 747-8.
Dubai-based Emirates is due to take delivery of its first Airbus
A380 next August. This will be followed by a further four in 2008
and within two years Emirates will operate 22 of the type.
Speaking at the World Air Transport Forum in Cannes, Clark said:
It is six tonnes overweight, thats a fact about the A380, but the
good thing about it is that Airbus has been working very hard to
take weight out of the aircraft.
We are very pleased to see that there is a definitive
weight-reduction programme over the next few years to reduce the
manufacturer empty weight by a few tonnes. Of course, that is of
great interest to us and I am optimistic that they will get 50% of
that weight out, maybe more.
Clark is eager to take delivery of Emirates first A380. He says he
is immensely relieved that the first aircraft has been delivered
and describes Singapore Airlines A380 cabin configuration as an
absolute show-stopper.
He remains tight-lipped on Emirates initial A380 routes, while
awaiting definitive dates from Airbus. But he says: The aircraft
that we are taking is the long-range version, so that will be
operating on our very long-haul network to New York and
Australasia. It may be flying, when we first get it, on some of our
European operations.
Emirates will operate its A380s in three configurations. Its crew
rest-equipped long-range versions will house 489 passengers in a
three-class configuration, while the non-crew rest version will
accommodate 531 passengers. Emirates is also planning to operate
some of its A380s in a two-class layout, with 617 passengers.
Clark says Emirates is still interested in the larger A380-900,
which he claims would be a simple, but low-demand, stretch.
Emirates would configure the aircraft with 531 seats in three
classes or around 700 in a two-class layout.
He says: We are still interested in [the A380-900]. We could do
with a few of those now. It is an easy one to do because the wing
is there, the propulsion is there. All they need to do is stretch
the fuselage and bingo. I am sure it will come.
There wont be many of us who want it, but at that point it
doesnt matter because the manufacturing economics become
incremental. Theyll have gone through the 200 or 300 they need to
break even and beyond that, to stretch the aircraft, would be a
$2-5 billion investment. Wed take it straight away.
Clark says Emirates would consider the 747-8 if it met the
airlines requirements, but he is again concerned about weight. He
says: It is not there yet either. We are not ready to sign a
contract. Weve got to be sure that they would deliver the aircraft
on the table at the moment, which will require some copper-bottomed
guarantees.
Emirates is also working with both Boeing and Airbus to find ways
of cutting controllable weight across its in-service fleet,
evaluating options such as shifting some of its paper literature
into its in-flight entertainment system.
Clark says: We are looking at multiple ways to take weight out of
the aircraft thats weight that we control, like catering,
galleys, carts, carpets, seat weight, water, magazines. We are
working with both Boeing and Airbus to find ways and means of
stripping weight out from the aircraft in a very pro-active
manner.