Emirates Leads Premium Segment

By Mike Omuodo

Emirates is the number one airline for premium capacity measured in international Available Seat Kilometres (ASKMs), clocking in 876 million ASKMs per week, according to Official Airline Guide (OAG) schedule data for April 2014.

Emirates has the highest available international premium capacity measured in seat kilometres deployed.  This is primarily due to the long haul nature of Emirates fleet deployment.

On 9th July the airline received delivery of its 50th A380, configured with 90 First and Business Class seats, further adding to Emirates’ average weekly capacity of over 191,000 premium seats according to OAG data from April 2014.

The Emirates A380 remains one of the most talked about aircraft in the world today, generating excitement wherever it flies. This distinctive double-decker aircraft not only represents a new generation of efficient aircraft technologies, but also an industry step-change in terms of the onboard experience.

Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline commented: “Our A380 is a showcase for many of our innovative and iconic on-board products - such as the Shower Spa, Onboard Lounge, and the First Class private suite. 

“When we signed up for the A380, we had a clear vision for how we would deploy these aircraft. At the same time, we also saw a tremendous opportunity to take the flying experience to whole new levels. We worked closely with Paris-based Jacques Pierrejean Design Studios to create our cabin interiors, investing thousands of hours into every detail. We took a bit of a gamble pulling out rows in Business Class to put in the Onboard Lounge, we pushed the envelope to bring the first showers onto a commercial flight, and we made sure our inflight entertainment system in all classes offered unparalleled choice and quality. These efforts have paid off, and our customers love flying the A380.”

Over 27.5 million passengers have flown on Emirates’ A380s since 2008, with premium and overall seat factors on the A380 fleet consistently outperforming the network.

Premium product supply partners

The Emirates’ A380 programme creates and supports manufacturing jobs across the global aircraft supply chain, such as at Diehl Comfort Modules (based in Germany), AIM Aviation (based in the UK) and B/E Aerospace (based in USA) – each of whom are involved in the development and production of Emirates’ most recognisable A380 products.

The Shower Spa has become a defining feature of the premium experience on the Emirates A380 with over 80% of long-haul First Class passengers utilizing it. Emirates tasked Diehl Comfort Modules, the supplier of the Shower Spa, to build and install it on its A380 aircraft. It took two years to design the Shower Spa. When completed in 2007, the development and certification of the Shower Spa totaled approximately 8,000 hours. It takes a production team of 12 highly experienced mechanics to build 4 Shower Spas on average every month, and almost 2,500 hours to produce one Shower Spa unit. Watch Diehl Comfort Modules talk about their part in building the Shower Spa here

AIM Aviation, which produces the extremely popular Onboard Lounge is currently building the 54th set of Emirates’ Bar and Lounge furniture. The ‘horseshoe bar’ is an iconic feature of the Emirates A380. An interesting fact about the Onboard Lounge is the level of detail that went into selecting the right stone and lighting effects for the bar. Emirates eventually selected the edge-illuminated white Onyx for the round bar display and work surfaces, and Black Galaxy Granite with oval onyx inserts for the full-height bar monuments. Watch AIM Aviation talk about their part in building the Onboard Lounge here

Emirates redefined the First Class experience, when it created and launched the first private suites in scheduled commercial aviation in 2003. The Emirates First Class suites set the industry standard by providing passengers an unprecedented level of privacy, and thoughtful luxury details. A team of nearly 80 engineers worked on the design, development and production of the First Class suites, and over 770 suites have been delivered for the Emirates A380 so far, with almost 35 suites currently on the production line today. Watch B/E Aerospace talk about their part in building the Emirates First Class private suite here

Emirates continues to be exceptionally committed to its First Class product. Globally, Emirates' First Class capacity grew by 6% over the last year, while First Class passenger traffic increased by 8%. This demonstrates both the popularity of the First Class cabin and the demand for the product. Across the network, First Class demand is strong, particularly on routes to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, recording consistently high load factors of over 70 percent.

Emirates is in the advanced stages of developing a new First Class "bedroom concept" for its A380 and new Boeing 777 fleets. Customers can expect fully enclosed rooms and all the touches and amenities common to luxury hotels and yachts, including room service. 

Emirates operates the world’s largest fleet of A380s, with 50 in service, and another 90 pending delivery. It also operates the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777s with 139 in service and another 205 on its order books.

 

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