Quote: Dubai's first budget carrier, which will take to the skies in a year's time with Emirates' assistance, has started to put together its act, with Peter Hill joining the team.
Hill, a former Emirates-appointed chief executive of Srilankan Airlines, relocated to Emirates headquarters in Dubai in December itself.
"He is now assisting Emirates in the formation of the new low-cost carrier announced by the Dubai Government," Emirates President, Tim Clark, told Emirates Business.
The new budget carrier is currently going through early formation stages, according to Clark. "We will now be selecting the fleet, the brand, the identity and so on. We will be defining it over the next six weeks to two months," he said.
Meanwhile, Emirates is close to finalising its aircraft for the budget carrier, according to Al Ghaith. "We should be able to decide something in less than two months time. It would be either an all-Airbus A320 fleet or an all-Boeing 737 fleet. We are not likely to go in for a mix fleet option," he told Emirates Business.
According to industry sources, the start-up order for the budget carrier could go up to 50 aircraft.
SeaBosDca From United States, joined Sep 2007, 982 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (5 months 1 week 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 1970 times:
What kind of airports will they be operating into? If there are a significant number of small or secondary airports with less developed facilities, the 737 could have an advantage.
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Flyboysp From Australia, joined Apr 2007, 618 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (5 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1893 times:
I would like to think that it would be an order for 737-900ER aircraft, but i think that it will go with theA320 or A321, which, and i am speculating here, will be influenced by compensation for the possible A380 delays.
JoKeR From Serbia, joined Nov 2004, 1761 posts, RR: 6 Reply 5, posted (5 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1859 times:
Quoting Flyboysp (Reply 4): but i think that it will go with the A320, which, and i am speculating here, will be impacted by possible compensation for the possible A380 delays.
I agree but bet on the A321 instead. I think that the sardine-machine is exactly what EK are looking at.
Scbriml From Saudi Arabia, joined Jul 2003, 8387 posts, RR: 25 Reply 8, posted (5 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1723 times:
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Quoting Flyboysp (Reply 4): i think that it will go with theA320 or A321, which, and i am speculating here, will be influenced by compensation for the possible A380 delays
While EK is helping to set this airline up, it will be run completely separate from EK, so any A380 compensation issue should have zero influence on the decision.
I don't see either the A32x or 737 families having a big advantage one way or the other. I suspect the decision will come down to price, availability, price and price. Either way, I can't see how they can get new, purchased planes in 12 months, so I assume they'll be starting with some leased ones.
DAE has firmed up their Boeing order, but I doubt they can get their 737s in 12 months. Airbus will presumably have slots freed up from Skybus's demise (but other customers might be unhappy to see a new customer jump the queue), so it will be interesting to see where these planes come from.
Scouseflyer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2006, 2372 posts, RR: 3 Reply 9, posted (5 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1723 times:
I wonder if they would be able to get some of either of these planes in short enough timescale to start receiving them next year so I reckon that some of these will be leases or they may pay another airline to "bump" their slots.
Quote: Emirates is assisting the Dubai government to set up its new low cost carrier but says the airline will be an independent operation once it is up and running next year.
“We’re providing technical assistance to the airline,” says Emirates Airline president Tim Clark. “We’re helping it get started and then it’s on its own.”
Clark, who expects the airline will begin operations in the summer of 2009, says it will fit well with Emirates existing network: “There are a number of airlines flying into Dubai using very old equipment that you’d thought had gone out with the end of the Cold War,” he says.
He points to markets such as the former Soviet states where Emirates “would never go with its widebodies, that the new airline could serve efficiently with a fleet of brand new aircraft”.
It will be based at the new Al Maktoum International Airport being developed at Jebel Ali.
Tim Clark for the first time, will now get the opportunity to scrutinize the narrow-bodies. Wonder will he ask for more range, more cargo space blah blah ...
Scouseflyer From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2006, 2372 posts, RR: 3 Reply 11, posted (5 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1584 times:
Quoting Aviationbuff (Reply 10): Tim Clark for the first time, will now get the opportunity to scrutinize the narrow-bodies. Wonder will he ask for more range, more cargo space blah blah ...
He's been quiet for a few weeks but now he's off again!
AirNZ From United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), joined Feb 2005, 1520 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (5 months 1 week 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 1066 times:
Quoting JoKeR (Reply 5): the sardine-machine is exactly what EK are looking at.
The what?
Quoting JoKeR (Reply 5): I agree but bet on the A321 instead.
KennyK From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2005, 293 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (5 months 1 week 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 824 times:
As stated the biggest issue might be getting hold of anything with wings these days that can get off the ground and I bet I'm not far from the truth, I guess who ever can actually supply aircraft might get the contract.
Burkhard From Germany, joined Nov 2006, 891 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (5 months 1 week 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 641 times:
No. Not next year. Even if all goes well, such a change requires three or four years until engine and aircraft are certified, from the current prototyp state.
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