[Tom Otley]

A reader sent me this photo as “evidence” of Emirates parked fleet at the Dubai hub.

As you know, there have been rumours that the airline has too many aircraft for current demand and so has parked several up in Dubai, but Emirates spokespeople deny this.

[capetonianm]

Emirates spokespeople deny this

They would, wouldn’t they! Everything smells of roses in the sandpit, except when it doesn’t, and then it’s denied.

I read an article in December in (I think) Flight International about this and with the routes on which they have reduced capacity they do have excess aircraft. They are also running into difficulties with a very high attrition rate of crew, particularly cockpit crew.

I think people are starting to see through the facade.

[MarcusGB]

Not sure that 4 aircraft means they are parked up and unused, they could be there for engineering or many other reasons.
I have seen many more with Etihad at AUH at times, but then even arriving aircraft have to go to remote stands or even the Cargo Centre sometimes, they are so busy.
The existing airport is simply inadequate.

I do agree the ME 3, have been greedy, pushy to other Airlines such as Air New Zealand, who they have bullied trans Tasman routes off. Flying on to NZ after from all the major Australian cities.
Certainly KLM are thriving with a 90% load factor to these areas, connecting on to Australia. I think people have a changed perception of these carriers, changing planes, and safety and security issues around the Middle East region.
I am giving up Etihad and a gold card, as their services are declining, cuts so obvious to First and Business Class, and FFP is now awful. Too many cuts, too many changes, some in retrospect, and Mass travel with so many passengers on huge Aircraft. they are all quite impersonal compared to many National Airlines.

Maybe we shall see a revival of the Far East Airlines for trips to Australia, and into Europe, which i prefer a direct non stop 11-15 hours, no changing aircraft with 6/7 hr, two sectors.

[AMcWhirter]

Emirates has already announced it is deferring A380 deliveries from Airbus because of the overcapacity situation.

http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/emirates-defers-a380-deliveries

But where business is good Emirates is adding capacity. From July 1 it is upgrading its twice daily DXB-PVG route to an all-A380 operation.

While the popular DXB-CDG route (served up to three times daily with A380s) gains extra capacity with the 615-seat two-class A380 rostered for flights EK71/72.

[MarcusGB]

They seem to be biting at Etihad’s reductions Alex, adding capacity where Etihad reduce immediately with huge Aircraft?

Look at Sydney getting 2 x A380 Etihad services, but Melbourne reduced to a 2nd generation seating and cabins, into Melbourne.
I think EK run several A380 flights from Amsterdam now, so capacity to DXB on KLM is reduced. AUH was served by a Dreamliner, but this is now an A 332/3.
Etihad still only run one A332 overnight to AUH, with original 3rd generation Etihad cabins, no First.
Again, EK are aggressive want to dominate everywhere, and really diminish the opprtunity of small or National Airlines by ushing them out.
I do not fly with them, i do not like their Business acumen, they appear to infiltrate and take over Airlines like ANZ, Qantas, and so much business from our European Airlines. But this is changing i see aboard direct flights to Asia, and those travelling on to Australia.

I really do care about an Airlines attitude, fairness, and attitudes when they ruin regional and domestic markets in places like Australia, and take Business away from the likes of BA, KLM and LH, and all our major European cities.
So, i do not support and will not fly with them.

[SimonS1]

Not sure that picture proves anything. The two aircraft on the right are not parked up, the Harare/Lusaka flight usually disembarks there.

Clearly they have reduced some frequencies due to the impact of the laptop bans on US flights, however Nairobi has gone to 3x daily.

[esselle]

Not sure what the photos are designed to show.

Go to DXB anytime and you will see EK aircraft scattered all over the place. Take a picture, give it a caption, and start a thread…………….

[Flightlevel]

All airlines re-configure capacity and reduce orders to fit their market. Trans-atlantic airlines reduce capacity from time to time and NO is making a loss until its market develops.
Its normal to expand in Asia where the market is developing. More noticeable to park A380s than B737s ofcourse.

[wowzimmer]

About a month ago and with far too time on my hands, I got the full list of Emirates aircraft registrations and ran them through Flightradar. There were just 2-3 which had been out of service for anything more than a day or so – it turned out that these were in for maintenance.

So, while I agree that things are bad at Emirates (it’s hard to ignore the annual report after all), I don’t think the photo is quite the evidence of aircraft parked up due to lack of demand. Emirates are running with an average load factor of about 75 percent – below that of many similar carriers. They are keeping their current schedules or redeploying their aircraft to other routes. But grounding them? No, not yet at least.

What they need is a better mix of aircraft to suit demand on individual routes (in my opinion anyway)

[stevescoots]

It often depend what time of the day you fly through, often early mornings there are many aircraft parked up remotley, then come through in the evening and almost none. its no indicator of how they are performing. i arrived in HKG from SGN last night at 8.30am and there were probably 10+ CX birds parked on the outer areas. Wowzimmer’s moment of boredom is a better guide 🙂

[Flightlevel]

Interesting to see if their market increases substantially now EK uses more A380s on Asian and Oz routes in particular, previously EK said when they put that aircraft to a destination they hardly had to advertise; will more A380s increase their market – it seemed to into the UK?

[Charles-P]

Flew from Dubai to Brussels yesterday. First and Business both full, was told by the crew that Economy was the same. I was chatting with one of them who said that she thinks probably 90% of their flights are full these days.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=808171]Flew from Dubai to Brussels yesterday. First and Business both full, was told by the crew that Economy was the same. I was chatting with one of them who said that she thinks probably 90% of their flights are full these days.

[/quote]

Well, if you cancel the under performing flights and maintain the higher performing flights, that would not exactly be a surprise, would it?

[Charles-P]

Well, if you cancel the under performing flights and maintain the higher performing flights, that would not exactly be a surprise, would it?

That wooshing sound you heard was the point, just missing you.

[capetonianm]

I was chatting with one of them who said that she thinks probably 90% of their flights are full these days.

Just following instructions! Mind you I think she’s telling the truth, it’s easy to fill flights, any time, any route. Filling them profitably is the complex art of yield management.

I’m in the process of booking a one way sea voyage to CPT. If I choose to take the option that the cruise operator offers, of a one way CPT-LON, EK is by far the cheapest of any of the airlines they offer, in both business and cattle class.

[Author]

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