Emirates Wins with Big Planes and Low Costs

摘要

While the last five years have been grueling for much of the airline industry, Dubai-based Emirates has prospered, becoming one of the top three international carriers. Now, the 25-year-old government-owned airline is on the offensive. To bolster its all-widebody fleet, it's adding 90 Airbus A380 superjumbo jets with 45,000 seats and operating costs 12 percent lower than rival Boeing's latest 747. That huge fleet of double-decker widebodies poses a threat to big European carriers that, like Emirates, specialize in flying passengers long distances through giant transfer hubs, says British Airways CEO Willie Walsh.