Emirates' expansion plan faces logistical pressures

Construction workers at Dubai International Airport are scrambling to provide the airport infrastructure necessary to support Emirates' relentless expansion. By 2013, Emirates should have the world's first terminal concourse used exclusively for getting passengers on and off A380 superjumbos. Emirates has 162 aircraft, and a further 239 on order, and its president Tim Clark says that one of his main challenges is trying to ensure that the airport's hub infrastructure can cope with the airline's fleet expansion. "The logistical pressures we face at the hub, that's quite a big problem for us to manage," Clark said. Article continues below The timetable for completion of Dubai World Central — which will supposedly be the world's largest passenger airport — has been pushed back from early in the next decade to 2030. Dubai World Central — which opened to cargo carriers last year — will be developed with cash generated from Dubai International airport's operations. Emirates was originally meant to move from Dubai International to Dubai World Central by 2017, but this is now not expected to happen until 2025 or later. All of which means Emirates' fleet could be capped at 260 until 2025, because that is the maximum number of aircraft Clark thinks an expanded Dubai International can support. He sees a business case for Emirates having 400 aircraft, but says this is only likely to be possible at Dubai World Central. At the Dubai Airshow this month, it also became apparent that Emirates is facing constraints in its choice of aircraft. Emirates electrified the show by unveiling plans to buy 50 Boeing 777-300 ER long-haul aircraft, with deliveries starting in 2015. It is the single largest commercial aircraft order in the US manufacturer's history, but Emirates had little choice but to buy 777s because the launch of Airbus' planned alternative plane — the A350-1000 — has been delayed until 2017. Clark regards the Boeing order as a "safety net" for Emirates' fleet expansion in case Airbus's already elongated delivery schedule for the A350 slides further.