Emirates is torn between continuing with Boeing freighters or investing in an Airbus model as the airline looks to double its existing capacity over the next decade.
According to Bloomberg, the United Arab Emirates flag carrier is weighing up the pros and cons of the Boeing 777-8 freighter and the Airbus A350F.
Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President at Emirates, Nabil Sultan, spoke to the news outlet at an industry conference in Singapore, where he indicated a decision may not be made for another four years.
Sultan said that the carrier will “evaluate, hopefully by 2027, whether we require a different mix to what we have already”.
Further capacity expansion will be achieved through converting some of the fleets’ Boeing 777-300ERs from commercial planes into cargo aircraft.
Sultan also indicated that Emirates SkyCargo was seeing a rise in demand for its services following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re probably at a much more stable stage now,” Sultan told Bloomberg News. “We’ve passed the bottoming out. We’ve seen consistent growth.”
According to ch-aviation.com, Emirates is currently waiting to increase its fleet of 11 777-200s with the delivery of five more. In May 2023, Emirates also announced the arrival of two new wet-leased Boeing 747-Fs.
In total Emirates cargo division is expecting 15 more freighters to boost its fleet from announced orders and its freighter conversion program.