Emirates’ (Dubai) has reviewed its performance and accomplishments in 2013. The airline issued this statement:
Emirates aircraft flew around the world more than 18,000 times in 2013, underlining its position as a global connector of people and places according to the carrier.
Figures show the airline’s fleet travelled more than 751 million kilometers throughout the year. Taking the earth’s circumference at the equator as 40,075 kilometers, this translates into the equivalent of 18,753 circumnavigations.
A total of 164,635 flights were conducted, carrying over 43 million passengers.
Emirates Flight Catering loaded nearly 46 million meals aboard Emirates’ flights departing Dubai. A particularly memorable day for the catering team was 20th December 2013 when a staggering 157,308 meals were produced, breaking their previous record of 147,722 on 1st March 2013.
Throughout the year, the airline has received 24 new aircraft – a combination of Airbus A380s, Boeing 777s and 777 freighters. Nine new passenger routes were launched; Warsaw, Algiers, Tokyo Haneda, Stockholm, Clark, Milan-New York, Conakry, Sialkot and Kabul. Hanoi, Chicago, Kano in Nigeria and Quito in Ecuador have been launched as cargo only destinations.
The first major milestone of 2013 was January’s opening of Concourse A, the world’s first purpose built A380 concourse. The giant building with 20 A380 gates is over 800m long and houses the largest airline lounges in the world.
April saw the landmark commercial deal with QANTAS Airways come to life. The new partnership brings the total combined number of weekly flights from Dubai to Australia to 98.
In May, The Emirates Group, which includes DNATA, announced its 25th consecutive year of profit, despite the continuing tough international business environment. For the 2012/13 financial year, the group posted a AED 3.1 billion ($845 million US) net profit, up 34 per cent from the previous financial year.
August brought the fifth anniversary of Emirates’ A380 operations. At the five year mark, its A380 fleet had carried more than 18 million passengers on over 45,000 flights. Earlier this month, the double decker, offering more than 400 hours of Hollywood movies, was deployed to Los Angeles, creating the world’s longest A380 service in operation at 16 hours and 20 minutes.
In September, Emirates’ fans were given an unprecedented look behind the scenes of its home base at Dubai International. The ten part series, “Ultimate Airport Dubai,” charts the incredible story of Dubai’s aviation sector on National Geographic Channel. The documentary can also be viewed on Emirates’ ice Digital Widescreen.
Emirates has won a host of awards during 2013 – most notably the Skytrax “World’s Best Airline” award. Close to 18,000 cabin crew from 137 nationalities help to deliver the world renowned on board service.
Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A380-861 A6-EDZ (msn 107) arrives back at the Dubai hub.
Emirates: 
Filed under: Emirates Airline Tagged: 107, A380, A380-800, A380-861, A6-EDZ, Airbus, Airbus A380, Airbus A380-800, Dubai, Dubai International, DXB, Emirates Airline, Emirates Group
