Airline News

www.Parctel.com: The Emirates Group today reported its 19th consecutive year of profit with a new record performance backed by continued double-digit growth.

Group net profits increased 23.5 per cent to a new high of UAE Dirhams 3.5 billion (US $942 million) for the financial year ended 31st March 2007, while Group revenue increased by an impressive 28.4 per cent to Dhs 31.1 billion ($8.5 billion), compared to Dhs 24.2 billion ($6.6 billion) last year. The Group also maintained a robust cash balance of Dhs 12.9 billion ($3.5 billion) at the end of March, an improvement of 17.8 per cent against a year earlier.

Emirates will pay a dividend of Dhs 400 million ($109 million) to its owner, the Government of Dubai. In total, the ownership will have received Dhs 1.8 billion ($505 million) from Emirates since the financial year 2000-01. In 2006-07, the Emirates Group estimates a direct contribution of Dhs 14.5 billion ($4 billion), and another Dhs 21.7 billion ($5.9 billion) in indirect contribution to the Dubai economy.

The 2006-07 Annual Report of the Emirates Group - comprising Emirates Airline, Dnata and subsidiary companies – was released in Dubai today at a news conference hosted by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group.

The Group’s latest record performance, backed by double-digit profit and revenue growth, reflects its success in growing demand for its services, and its ability to attract more premium customers through its multi-million dollar investments in product innovations and service enhancements. This is illustrated by the three million more passengers who flew Emirates in the latest financial year, for a new record total of 17.5 million.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “It has been another outstanding year of continued profitability and rapid growth. These results, against a backdrop of rising costs and significant aircraft delivery delays which have impacted our capacity growth, demonstrate Emirates’ ability to adapt and knuckle down to the challenge.”

He continued: “For the third year running, pressure from fuel costs has softened our profits, while the delay on our A380 aircraft deliveries has meant that we have had to revisit our expansion plans. In spite of these factors, the Group has continued to forge ahead, posting double-digit profit and revenue growth by expanding our operations into new markets and adding capacity to existing markets offering the highest returns; innovating to attract and retain premium customers; and keeping a close watch on unit costs.”

Sheikh Ahmed said: “The Emirates Group is exposed to fuel price fluctuations, rising interest rates, and the volatility of the US dollar against major currencies – all of which we have very little control over. In all other areas of our business, we have better control and in these we strive to improve efficiency and effectiveness, enhance productivity and constantly challenge the existing ways of doing business for continuous improvement. This is essential as we confidently stride ahead with our expansion plans and continue to invest in various new initiatives to manage the company’s growth.”

Across the Group, initiatives to improve efficiency and keep a tight rein on costs have also contributed to the positive results, as the Group maintained a strong net profit margin of 11.4 per cent.

Fuel costs remained the top expenditure accounting for 29.1 per cent of total operating costs, up from 27.2 per cent the previous year and 21.4 per cent the year before. Like other airlines, Emirates was forced to retain its fuel surcharges, which only covered about 50 per cent of incremental costs.

In a year where WTI crude oil prices have fluctuated from US$50 to $78 per barrel, Emirates’ challenge was to manage its fuel risk programme within a price range that ensured its net fuel cost remained below market levels. The airline’s jet fuel risk management programme continued to help mitigate fuel costs, saving the company Dhs 724 million ($197 million) in 2006-07.

In his opening review in the 2006-07 Annual Report, Sheikh Ahmed highlighted the mutually-supportive relationship between Dubai’s rapid development and the growth of Emirates and Dnata which have directly and indirectly contributed to the city’s growing infrastructure and reputation as an international centre for commerce and tourism.

He also remarked on how Emirates Airline has grown from a small operator of eight aircraft in 1990 to become the eighth largest international carrier in the world today with 102 aircraft and over 80 international destinations.

“I often get asked how it is possible Emirates can be so successful without subsidies or preferential treatment from the government,” he said. “There is no secret formula. We simply work hard, work smart, and have built our success on a sound and simple business model that focuses on growth, keeping unit costs low, and investing in innovations to keep ahead of the competition.”

Sheikh Ahmed concluded: “The Group’s strong performance this year is very gratifying. As with previous years, we intend to plough the retained profits back into our business – ensuring we have the right infrastructure, people and resources to support the company’s future growth, while providing our customers with the high quality services they have come to expect from us.”

Emirates Airline’s revenues totalled Dhs 29.8 billion ($8.1 billion) for the year, Dhs 6.8 billion ($1.8 billion) or 29.5 per cent higher than income of Dhs 23.1 billion ($6.3 billion) in 2005-06. Airline profits of Dhs 3.1 billion ($844 million) also surpassed the previous year’s record profits of Dhs 2.5 billion ($674 million).

With the addition of 12 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft during the financial year, Emirates’ fleet reached 102 at the end of March, including nine freighters. The current fleet of all wide-bodied aircraft has an average age of 63 months – one of the youngest commercial fleet in the skies.

Amongst the highlights of the year was Emirates’ order for 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters worth Dhs 12.1 billion ($3.3 billion) at the 2006 Farnborough Air Show. The airline also ordered five additional Boeing 777-300ERs from GECAS on operating leases to meet its capacity requirements due to the delayed delivery of the A380s.

This will bring its 777-300ER fleet size to 59 which, coupled with its existing 777 fleet and freighters, will place Emirates as the largest operator of the 777 by 2010. Emirates’ current order book for 107 new aircraft is worth approximately Dhs 111 billion ($30 billion) in list prices. Over the next eight years, the airline will continue to receive delivery of one new aircraft per month on average.

During 2006-07, Emirates launched passenger services to four new cities – Bangalore, Beijing, Nagoya, and Tunis - bringing the network total to 89 destinations. In addition, it increased the frequency of passenger services to existing destinations, notably a second daily service to Zurich and Dusseldorf, along with a third daily flight to New York via Hamburg.

Passenger seat factor increased to 76.2 per cent from 75.9 per cent the previous year. Traffic increased by 21.6 per cent to 12,643 million tonne-kilometres, and keeping pace with a capacity increase of 22.9 per cent to 19,414 million tonne-kilometres. Breakeven load factor remained relatively low and improved marginally to 59.9 per cent from 60.2 per cent last year, while yield improved for the fifth consecutive year, to 216 fils (59 US cents) per RTKM (Revenue Tonne Kilometre), up from 203 fils (55 US cents) in 2005-06.

Over the past 12 months, nine new Emirates Lounges were opened at airports in key points across the airline’s network during the year, bringing to 18 the total number of world-class lounges dedicated to Emirates’ First and Business class customers and eligible frequent fliers. To date, the airline has invested Dhs 134 million ($37 million) in its lounge product, with another Dhs 49 million ($13 million) earmarked for 10 more Emirates Lounges in the financial year 2007-08.

Emirates also enhanced its product for young travellers, introducing a complimentary baby stroller service at Dubai airport and new onboard activity packs to keep its young customers happily entertained while flying.

The airline also progressed with its multi-million dollar programme to retrofit its existing 777 fleet with new SkyCruiser seats in First class, flat-bed seats in Business class, and its award-winning ‘ice’ inflight entertainment systems across all classes.

Emirates SkyCargo recorded strong growth across its network to carry 1.2 million tonnes of cargo, surpassing its record of one million tonnes of cargo carried last year by 13.5 per cent. The division’s revenue of Dhs 5.4 billion ($1.5 billion) was Dhs 874 million ($238 million) or 19 per cent higher than the year before, and contributed 20 per cent to the airline’s transport revenue, one of the highest contributions of any airline in the world with a similar fleet make-up.

In addition to the 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters ordered at the Farnborough Air Show, the division has signed a wet-lease agreement with TNT Airways S.A for a Boeing 747-400ERF commencing operations in May 2007, and another two aircraft of the same type from Guggenheim Aviation on dry-lease. The latter two aircraft will enter service in August 2007 and May 2008. Scheduled freighters now operate to 29 destinations. In all, Emirates SkyCargo carries freight in 102 aircraft, including nine freighters, to 89 cities.

The Destination and Leisure Management division of Emirates Airline saw another strong year of growth, with sales crossing the Dhs 1 billion ($314 million) mark. This represents an improvement of 22 per cent over the previous year, with yield up eight per cent despite the increasing competitive market conditions. During the year, Emirates Holidays and Arabian Adventures served a record number of 369,000 customers.

The division’s new Emirates Hotels & Resorts arm also continued to develop, and this financial year will see the launch of two new properties – Emirates Marina Hotel & Residence, due to open in September 2007, and Emirates Green Lakes Serviced Apartments, scheduled to open in January 2008.

Dnata recorded a solid performance with revenue growth of 16.5 per cent to Dhs 2.1 billion ($565 million) compared with Dhs 1.8 billion ($485 million). Dnata’s profits of Dhs 360 million ($98 million) represent an increase of 11 per cent compared to last year’s Dhs 324 million ($88 million) – this despite the mammoth challenge to keep operations at the Dubai airport and cargo terminals running smoothly around one of the biggest airport construction and expansion projects currently in progress.

In its 48th year of operation, Dnata remains at the heart of the rapid traffic growth at Dubai International Airport, handling a record 30 million passengers (up 17.2 per cent), 110,000 aircraft (up eight per cent) and 535,132 tonnes of cargo (up six per cent) during the 2006-07 fiscal year. Its corporate and retail travel arm, Dnata Agencies, also reported a 37 per cent increase in turnover, repositioned its retail brand Dnata Holidays to focus on luxury travellers, and celebrated its 40th year as GSA for seven airlines while welcoming three new airline customers.

As of 31st March 2007, the Group employed 30,344 people, up 13 per cent from a year before. In the past 12 months, Emirates has been receiving 60 new cabin crew recruits each week on average, and now has over 8,000 cabin crew representing more than 100 nationalities. Its 1,667 captains and first officers represent over 75 nationalities.

The Group’s Facilities Management Department currently has Dhs 580 million ($158 million) worth of new projects in Dubai under various stages of design and construction including: 700 apartments for cabin crew accommodation in Media City, a new call centre in Dubai Outsource Zone, new offices for D&LM on Sheikh Zayed Road and a new operations centre at Dubai Investment Park, and storage warehousing in Ghusais.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, the Dubai-based multi-award winning airline, and the International Rugby Board have launched the second annual Rugby Photograph of the Year Competition.

A trip for two to the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens at the end of November awaits the winner of the Rugby Photograph of the Year Competition.

The competition, which aims to capture the essence of the Game, is open to both amateur and professional photographers. The judges will be looking for a striking photograph that best depicts the Game; whether it be from the test match arena or the domestic rugby scene.

A shortlist of six entries will be made by the IRB’s panel of judges and the overall winner will receive a fantastic trip for two to the Dubai Rugby Sevens, courtesy of Emirates, including flights, accommodation and tickets. The five runners-up will have their photographs published alongside the winning entry in the IRB World Rugby Yearbook 2008, which will be on the bookshelves in November.

Last year’s inaugural competition was won by Morgan Treacy of the IHPHO Agency in Dublin, Ireland. His winning entry, ‘Mud glorious mud’ was taken following an Irish League match on a rather damp day in Dublin.

To enter the competition photographers must send a 15” x 12” print of their chosen photograph to Dominic Rumbles, Communications Manager, International Rugby Board, Huguenot House, 35-38 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland or email as a jpeg of no less than 300 dpi to dominic.rumbles[at]irb.com by no later than noon on 31st August.

‘Mud glorious mud’, Morgan Treacy’s winning entry for the Emirates and IRB 2006 Photograph of the Year.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, the Dubai-based global airline, will launch its double daily services to Beijing from 1st May, four months prior to celebrating the anniversary of its first flight to the city last year.

Initially the airline will increase its services from the current daily to 12 flights every week, and from 1st July the busy Dubai-Beijing route will feature a double-daily non-stop service.

Emirates has built strong bridges between these two cities – Beijing, the political and cultural capital of China, and Dubai, which is perfectly positioned as the gateway to the east and west, as well as to the north and south of the equator.

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “China is the new economic powerhouse and the world is beating a path to its capital Beijing. Since the launch of our Dubai-Beijing route last September, we have experienced strong demand from countries on our network and consistently high seat load factors. We are in the business of creating convenient global air networks for our customers – both passengers and cargo – and the upcoming Olympic Games in 2008 will increase the tempo of demand for our services to Beijing.”

He added: “Our second daily to the city is win-win for customers, stakeholders and our business, which is the reason we earmarked the city for double dailies so soon after our launch. We are extremely grateful to the Chinese government and the airport authorities for their continuing support. Emirates is confident that our twice-daily flights will accelerate bilateral ties between the two countries in the political, social, cultural, trade and tourism spheres.”

As a further sign of the blossoming bilateral relations between the two countries, earlier this month, the UAE and the China National Tourism Administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Chinese citizens’ outbound travel to the UAE. This is the first step for the UAE receiving full ADS – Approved Destination Status – from the Chinese authorities. Once in full effect, it will significantly enhance the growth of Dubai’s tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) markets. Last year, the bilateral trade volume between China and the UAE rose to US$ 14.2 billion, which is an increase of nearly 32 per cent.

Emirates will serve the second daily with an Airbus A340-300 offering 267 seats in a three-class configuration – 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business and 213 in Economy – and 13 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity. With the second daily, the airline will offer capacity in excess of 3,700 seats and 180 tonnes of cargo to Beijing every week.

Emirates began services to mainland China in 2004 with services to Shanghai, which it serves with daily non-stop Boeing 777-300ER flights offering nearly 2550 passenger seats and 160 tonnes of cargo weekly. Emirates SkyCargo also serves Shanghai with six dedicated weekly Boeing 747-400F freighter services, offering an additional 720 tonnes of cargo capacity.

The airline also serves Hong Kong with 17 weekly passenger flights and 10 Boeing 747-400F freighter services - offering a total of 1200 tonnes of capacity.

Emirates will launch its second daily non-stop service to Beijing from 1st May, initially offering 12 flights every week, and from 1st July a double-daily service.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates Aviation College – Aerospace & Academic Studies, is attracting large numbers of young people to its stand at this year’s Gulf Education & Training Exhibition, currently being held at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.

The college’s faculty members are on hand to help visitors and their families in their queries on the various degree and diploma courses on offer.

“We are overwhelmed by the number of young people who are interested in joining the exciting world of aviation,” said Mohammed Al Budoor, Vice Chancellor of the Emirates Aviation College’s Aerospace & Academic Studies wing.

“We are accepting students for the next academic year and we have had queries about all our aeronautical engineering courses and the air transport management programmes, in addition to the travel and tourism programmes.”

The four-year degree courses in Air Transport Management, Aeronautical Engineering and Tourism Management are accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research.

The college is also offering a new two-year Executive MBA programme in collaboration with the UK’s Brunel University, which specialises in the aviation industry.

Also available are vocational programmes leading to diplomas in Aerospace Engineering, Business Management, Travel & Tourism Management and Electronic & Computer Engineering.

For more information on registration, contact the college’s office on Tel: +9714 282 4000.

www.Parctel.com:Emirates Team New Zealand’s NZL 84 finished the Act 13 fleet racing regatta as top challenger, ahead of big rivals BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa.

Emirates Team New Zealand finished with 64 points, taking the maximum four bonus points into the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series which starts on 16th April.

“We finished on top of the challengers’ leader board for Act 13 and top challenger over the past three years,” Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director, Grant Dalton, said.

“The aims at the start of the regatta were to get the four bonus points and to rotate crew positions so that everyone in the sailing team is match ready for 16th April.

“We have had a great result and this gives us encouragement for the racing ahead.”

Dalton said: “One thing we have learned during this regatta is just how good Alinghi is. Their hardware is very fast and as we’ve seen over the past few days they can get themselves out of trouble with apparent ease.”

Emirates Team New Zealand did not have a happy final race which started in a north-east breeze of 11 – 13 knots.

After being boxed in at the pre-start and then unable to tack away immediately to get clear air, Ben Ainslie and crew set about the painstaking business of recovering.

At the top mark they were up to sixth and preparing to attack on the run. Emirates Team New Zealand was then caught in a melee when Spain’s ESP 97, doing a 360 degree penalty turn for failing to keep clear on the approach to the top mark, fouled both FRA 93 and Emirates Team New Zealand as they completed it. The Spanish were immediately penalised again.

The melee cost Emirates Team New Zealand another place in the fleet and the chase was on and the climb up the fleet started again. They recovered again and were able to hold on to sixth despite a rip in the gennaker on the final run.

Sixth may have been disappointing on the day, but it was enough to give them seven points and retain the top challenger title.

Emirates, the title sponsor of leading 32nd America’s Cup contender Emirates Team New Zealand, is offering yachting enthusiasts from around the world the chance to join the elite in Valencia.

The exclusive Emirates packages are for 4-days and 3-nights and include hotel accommodation in Valencia; transfers between the hotel and the marina; a unique opportunity to actually sail or even crew a thoroughbred maxi-yacht under simulated racing conditions; a guided tour of the Emirates Team New Zealand base; race viewing from the Emirates Team New Zealand VIP boat; and onboard hospitality. Further information on how to book the packages can be found at www.emirates.com.

Emirates Team New Zealand NZL84 bowman Stu Bettany prepares the spinnaker at the first top mark rounding of race six of the Louis Vuitton Act 13. Emirates Team New Zealand finished the Act 13 fleet racing regatta as the top challenger. They take the maximum four bonus points into the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series which starts on 16th April.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates Team New Zealand revealed on Sunday what it had been hiding under the ‘skirts’ of their 2007 America’s Cup yachts NZL 92 and NZL 84 – and it turned out to be 100% pure New Zealand.

At 9.30am on Sunday, 1st April, the skirts came off all yachts competing in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup. Media, members of rival syndicates and the public were given free access to all bases for four hours.

The skirts hid arcane design detail of hulls, keels, rudders and bulbs – jealously guarded design secrets that are now revealed to the world.

Equally secret for members of Emirates Team New Zealand were the designs painted on the bulbs of NZL 92 and NZL 84. Team New Zealand started the bulb decoration tradition in 1995 with its now famous flames on NZL 32.

And in 2007, the world now knows that NZL 84 sports a dashing paint job inspired by the New Zealand icon Buzzy Bee, a wooden toy that was first manufactured in the mid-1940s. Buzzy Bee has delighted generations of New Zealanders ever since.

Emirates Team New Zealand has chosen the distinctive Buzzy Bee design for NZL 84’s bulb. Every New Zealander can identify with Buzzy Bee, Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand, says. “It seems fitting that a simple wooden New Zealand toy should grace the bulb of a hi-tech America’s Cup class yacht.”

Emirates is the title sponsor of Emirates Team New Zealand one of the leading teams mounting a challenge for the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007, the world’s oldest sports trophy and premier yachting event. Team New Zealand held the Cup for eight years until 2003. Its bid to regain the trophy from its current holder - Team Alinghi of Geneva, Switzerland - will culminate in 2007 in a series of regattas off the Mediterranean city of Valencia, Spain.

Grant Dalton, Managing Director of Emirates Team New Zealand pictured with Emirates Cabin Crew Members, Sara Ehsani Zonoz (left) and Margarita Perdomo (right) at the unveiling ceremony the all the yachts competing in the 2007 America’s Cup, which took place in Valencia, Spain, on Sunday 1st April

The big red spinnakers of Emirates Team New Zealand are back on the water at Valencia as the team gets ready for the build-up to the 32nd America’s Cup.

Emirates Team New Zealand’s big red spinnakers are back out on the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Spain as the countdown continues to the 32nd America’s Cup.

Emirates Team New Zealand has reassembled at their Valencia base and the race yachts NZL 84 and NZL 92 are being put through their paces. Since the yachts were flow in on 24th February, shore crew and engineers had been working to re-commission them for the restart of the testing programme.

This will be the final month of a project that started in 2003. As syndicate head Grant Dalton says, “There is no next year any more, it’s this year or never.”

Racing gets underway on April 3rd with Act 13 of the Louis Vuitton Cup. It is the match races of the Louis Vuitton Cup that will decide which team will go forward to challenge Alinghi in the America’s Cup.

www.Parctel.com: One class that is bound to keep more than 500 Singapore school students awake is the Emirates Singapore Youth Golf Development Programme, taking place during the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters.

While 204 professional golfers battle for the US$1.1 million prize purse during the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters, these students will get a private tutorial from some of the world’s top talent, such as Ryder Cup stars Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, David Howell and India’s Jyoti Randhawa.

The Emirates Singapore Youth Golf Development Programme provides school children who are keen on golf the opportunity to learn from professional players at a prestigious tournament. This is the second time Emirates – the Official Airline of the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters 2007 – is supporting this initiative.

At the tournament, students rub shoulders with the stars, attend a golf clinic conducted by the professionals, and are assigned to a particular player to follow around the golf course. Professional players will show students the finer points of the game and of the discipline required as a professional athlete at golf clinics, and share their personal experiences in the highly competitive circuit.

Lee Westwood passes on his golfing tips to youths participating in the Emirates Youth Golf Development Programme at the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters. Emirates is supporting the youth programme for the second year running.

Golf Directory

www.Parctel.com: The Emirates-sponsored Australian One-Day International squad are all ready to take on England on Friday in their final warm-up match before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Ricky Ponting led his side to a 106 run victory over Zimbabwe on Tuesday and will now face England in St. Vincent.

Emirates sponsored Australia when they won the 1999 Cricket World Cup; and following the win in 2003, the team is now bidding for a third successive World Cup victory.

Emirates has always had a strong affiliation with cricket and in addition to their sponsorship of the Australian Cricket World Cup team, it also sponsors the ICC Umpires and is the Official Airline to Cricket Australia.

Cricket Directory | Cricket World Cup Web Sites

www.Parctel.com: The Clarinden Leu Singapore Masters tees off at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club on Thursday, 8th March. Emirates, the Official Airline of the tournament for the second consecutive year, invited a number of their corporate customers to participate in Tuesday’s Pro-Am tournament, offering golfers the exclusive opportunity to match their wits with international golf professionals.

From left: David Ho, 2006 Ryder Cup winning captain and legendary golfer Ian Woosnam and Emirates' Area Manager for Singapore and Brunei Stephen Chu taking a breather at the 18th green during Tuesday’s Pro-Am Tournament. They are flanked by Emirates cabin crew members Stella Goh, Marita Hill, Sumitra Nathan and Sherry Wryghte.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates has signed an agreement with GE Commercial Aviation Service (GECAS) to lease five more Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

All five aircraft, scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2008, will boast a three-class configuration, mini-suites in First Class, lie-flat seats in Business, spacious Economy seats, crew rest area and the very latest in inflight entertainment.

Emirates has placed a firm lease order for five additional Boeing 777-300ERs.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: "Our fleet is a key factor in our organic growth strategy and these new leased aircraft will minimise the impact of any shortfalls in our fleet projections. It’s no secret that Emirates has mapped an ambitious growth plan for the next ten years, which can be gauged by our intention to launch services to Venice, Houston, Sao Paolo and Newcastle this year."

He added: "We have an excellent ongoing relationship with GECAS and are assured of their customer orientation and their alignment with our business objectives."

Today, Emirates has 23 Boeing 777-300ERs in its fleet and a firm order for 36 more, including the new lease order. By 2013, Emirates’ fleet will feature 59 of the -300ERs, 19 of these leased from GECAS. The 777-300ER brings twin-engine efficiency and reliability to the long-range market. At full passenger and cargo capacity, the aircraft can fly up to 5,300 nautical miles (9,815 kilometres), or easily non-stop from Dubai to New York.

Henry Hubschman, President and CEO of GECAS said: "We are delighted to partner once again with Emirates, one of the world’s leading airlines. We already share a close business relationship with Emirates, and this lease agreement further enhances our partnership. We look forward once again to fulfilling their expectations."

Currently, Emirates has 101 aircraft in its fleet – a mix of Boeing 777-300ERs, -300s, -200s, 747Fs; and Airbus A340-500s, A340-300s, A330-200s, A310Fs, and one A310. The airline’s fleet is among the youngest in the skies, with an average age of just 61 months. The airline has more than 100 aircraft on order, pending delivery. Emirates currently serves 87 destinations in 58 countries worldwide.

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, the fast-expanding international airline, will participate in the 18th ITB Berlin in Germany taking place from 7th to 11th March 2007 at the Exhibition Grounds in Berlin. ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, stands as the premiere meeting place for the travel industry. A total of nearly 11,000 exhibitors from some 180 countries and territories are expected to attend this year’s trade show. Last year, a total of 68,270 public visitors were registered.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, will again lead a delegation of senior Emirates staff from the airline and its destination and leisure management divisions, to meet with buyers, travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers and government tourism officials at the show. Sheikh Ahmed said: “We value ITB as an important global meeting place. ITB Berlin’s partner country this year is India: a very important part of our global route network. Currently Emirates connects Dubai to eight destinations in India. Our services to the country have grown substantially in the last few years, creating a greater exchange for business, tourism and culture.”

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline will participate in a panel discussion at the ITB Aviation Day on March 9th. The Aviation Day is one of the top events in the global aviation industry focussed on the latest developments for airlines, airports and aircraft.

As always, Emirates will attract show visitors with its eye-catching stand. Chosen for its spectacular design as well as the services and activities, the Emirates stand is shaped like an Airbus A380 super jumbo. The A380 is the world's first double decker aircraft and the airline is by far the largest customer with 45 on firm order, the first of which will be received in August, 2008.

New this year, the airline will showcase its new Boeing 777-300 ER lie-flat business class seats. Also at the stand, visitors will have access to Emirates’ famous A340-500 first class suites with privacy screens which can be opened or closed for maximum privacy as well as leather seats which convert to flat beds.
Building the Emirates stand has required the work of 20 people over 10 days. It is constructed from steel and weighs some 30 tonnes, is fully air-conditioned and has two floors including a majlis (meeting area) for VIP visitors. New destinations, new inflight products and services, and the airline’s new hotel division Emirates Hotels & Resorts are just a few exciting developments that Emirates will share with the international travel industry in Berlin.

www.Parctel.com: The recent World Air Cargo Event (WACE), provided a platform for industry heavy weight Emirates SkyCargo to provide insights on the issue of technological challenges facing players in the air freight industry.

“The fact is, if air cargo does not adapt, face the changes and embrace technology, it will be left out in the cold,” forecasted Ram Menen, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

“Information technology is as core to our business as airplanes, trucks and ships. To keep up with the best levels of customer care and ensure supply chain efficiencies, industry can not afford to overlook the importance that technology has on its business,” he added.

Menen outlined the necessity for industry to move quickly on ushering in technological updates in order to maximize its benefit from the IATA e-freight initiative. The initiative was developed to improve productivity and reduce costs while speeding up the movement of cargo from production to consumption.

The Emirates SkyCargo stand was again a popular stop for trade visitors and industry players. The stand, which featured information on the award-winning carrier’s extensive range of products and solutions, also provided access to www.skycargo.com through on-site computer terminals, enabling visitors and customers to view and transact business online.

Prakash Nair, Emirates Manager Network Cargo Sales Development said, “At last year’s WACE event, Emirates SkyCargo welcomed an estimated 2,000 visitors from 62 countries to our stand. In its second year, the event has indeed gained momentum. It has been another tremendous success for us.”

The World Air Cargo Event: Dubai was organized under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, President Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group and was supported by regional civil aviation authorities and leading trade organizations.

The Emirates SkyCargo team at their spectacular stand at WACE 2007

www.Parctel.com: Emirates, sponsor of the Australian World Cup squad for the Cricket World Cup, in association with Cricket Australia held a departure party on Tuesday night to celebrate the sport of Cricket; and to wish the current squad the best of luck as they prepared to leave for the West Indies.

Cricketing legend Shane Warne arrives at Tuesday night's celebration of One Day Cricket, presented by Emirates at Sydney's Luna Park. Also pictured are Emirates cabin crew Annalise Stanway and Allison Kennedy.

www.Parctel.com: Ricky Ponting, captain of the Emirates-sponsored Australian cricket squad, along with team-mates Nathan Bracken and late call up Stuart Clark, were at Sydney International Airport on Sunday to unveil the 2007 World Cup uniform.

The distinct green and gold uniform will be worn for all games in the West Indies as Ponting and his team bid for a third successive ICC Cricket World Cup victory.

Earlier this month, Emirates, the Dubai-based multi-award winning airline, announced a major sponsorship of the defending champions; underlining Emirates’ commitment to Australia. The Emirates sponsorship of Australia’s World Cup team sees Emirates branding appear on the team uniform and training apparel while in the West Indies.

The West Indies plays host to the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup with play in the first match getting underway on 13th March. Australia’s defence will begin on 14th March when they face Scotland in St Kitts.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said: “Emirates has a long and successful partnership with the Australian team and we were with them when they won the Cricket World Cup in 1999. We wish them the best of luck in retaining the World Cup.”

Ponting said: "We are all looking forward to a challenging and successful two months of Cricket.

“We are proud to be associated with Emirates during our World Cup campaign and hope we can repeat the victory of 1999 when Emirates was our team sponsor.”

Emirates is also the naming rights sponsor of the Celebration of Australian One-Day International Cricket event and ICC World Cup departure celebration on 27th February at Luna Park in Sydney.

The gala event will reunite all players who have represented Australia in limited-overs cricket as well as announce the greatest Australian One-Day International team of all-time.

Australia’s 1987 World Cup winning squad will also be honoured with a retrospective presentation of World Cup Champions rings of the type presented to the 1999 and 2003 World Cup winners.

Emirates has always had a strong affiliation with cricket and in addition to their sponsorship of the Australian Cricket World Cup team, it also sponsors the ICC Umpires and is the Official Airline to Cricket Australia.

Fast bowler Stuart Clark (right) still smiling after being called up as a last minute replacement for the ICC World Cup. He joins Nathan Bracken (left) and Captain Ricky Ponting (centre) to unveil the Emirates-sponsored Australian Cricket World Cup squad’s team uniform for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup at Sydney International Airport. Also pictured are Emirates cabin crew members Kirsi Urpilainen and Milena Diaz.