Emirates Airline annual profit 52% up

Dubai-based carrier Emirates Airline in fiscal year 2012-2013 achieved a net profit of 2.283 billion Dirham (622 million U.S. dollars), representing a 52-percent increase year on year, local media reported Thursday. In its annual report, the airline said it benefited from ample demand on most of its routes and the opening of the world's first concourse exclusive for Airbus A380 at its home airport in Dubai, despite of the high prices of fuel. In the past fiscal year that ended on March 31, the Emirates carried 39.39 million passengers to 133 destinations in 73 countries, an increase of 15.9 percent annually. Emirates stressed two endeavors scored the unprecedented achievement -- the opening of the Airbus A380 concourse at Dubai International Airport terminal 3 and the expansion of its fleet from 169 to 197 planes. "We continued to grow steadily despite continued marketplace challenges," said Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline. Regarding the outlook for the current fiscal year, Sheikh Ahmed said although the Emirates was successful in 2012-2013, "we did not reach the level we had set for ourselves and our performance in 2013-14 will be focused on gaining that ground back."