Summary

  • Emirates gradually replacing A380s with Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s – a significant fleet shift.
  • Major focus on Airbus A350 with plans for various cabin classes to enhance passenger comfort.
  • Future includes a blend of Airbus A350s and Boeing 777s with extended routes for new aircraft.

Emirates operates a hub-and-spoke model and currently only operates wide-body long-haul aircraft. Emirates was funded in 1985 (around 38 years ago), and the airline and its fleet have changed dramatically. Since then, Emirates has operated Boeing 747s, Airbus 330s, Boeing 777s, Airbus 380s, and others. At the moment, Emirates operates only two types of aircraft, but it will operate other aircraft types in the future. Most notably, Emirates has placed a massive order for Airbus’ A350 widebody aircraft.

Historical Emirates fleet

According to ATDB.aero, Emirates has operated an assortment of Boeing and Airbus airliners over the years – although primarily wide-body aircraft. The airline has operated 22 Boeing 747 Jumbo jets (of the variants -200B, -400F, and -8F) and still has one in service. The Boeing 747s were used for cargo transport.

An Emirates Boeing 727 Parked In Dubai.

Model & type:

Number:

Model & type:

Number:

Boeing 747 (747-200B, -400F, -8F)

22

Airbus A340 (-500, -300)

21

Airbus 330 (-200, -900neo)

70

Airbus A350 (-1000)

20

Boeing 777 (-200, 200ER, -300, -300ER, -8, -9, -F)

92

Boeing 787 (-10, -9)

70

Airbus A300 (-600, B4)

9

Airbus A310 (-300, -300F)

14

Boeing 727 -200

3

Boeing 737-300

1

Emirates commenced its operations in 1985 with a rather humble selection of narrow-body jets. Its first aircraft were Airbus A300s and a Boeing 737-300 (another three Boeing 727s were also used in the early days). It didn’t take long for Emirates to start outgrowing these smaller aircraft, and in 1987, it took possession of its first wide-body aircraft – an Airbus A310. Between 1999 and 2016, Emirates operated a fleet of 29 Airbus A330-200s, and in 2003, it received its first passenger quadjet – the Airbus A340.

In 2003, Emirates made history at the Paris Air Show when it announced the largest civil aviation order in history. The massive order included 71 aircraft, including 21 A380s (and leasing orders for another two). Emirates’ massive purchases of the Airbus A380s significantly contributed to the project’s early success and gave hope that it could be a profitable aircraft. However, when Emirates canceled most of its orders for the A380s in February 2019, sounding the death knell for the program.

Several Emirates crew members walking on a jet bridge.

Photo: Emirates

Related

What Did Emirates Fly Before The Airbus A380 And Boeing 777?

The carrier’s historical fleet has had considerable diversity.

Current Emirates fleet

Today, Emirates’ fleet is made up of only two aircraft types – the massive Airbus A380-800 and the smaller wide-body Boeing 777 (-300ER and -200LR). This gives Emirates a comparatively easy-to-maintain fleet. However, this is set to change as Emirates is now diversifying its aircraft in service.

Emirates remains (by far) the world’s largest operator of Airbus A380s (the largest passenger aircraft in the world). Of the approximately 251 A380s built, Emirates has operated over half (165) of them. However, the last A380 built rolled off the production line and entered Emirates service in 2021. With no new A380s being built, they are gradually being retired as they age (a process hastened by Covid).

According to data from ATDB.aero, Emirates has 18 inactive and 45 retired A380s, shrinking its active fleet to a (still impressive) 102 aircraft. It is expected that the Airbus A380s will continue to serve until at least 2035 (so there is still plenty of time to fly them).

Emirates Airbus A380

Photo: Daniela Collins | Shutterstock

The second backbone of the Emirates fleet is the Boeing 777 (particularly the B777-300ER). With 123 Boeing 777-300ERs (and another 9x B777-200LRs and 11x -200Fs) in active service, they are the most numerous aircraft currently operated by Emirates.

According to ch-aviation, Emirates also wet leases a Boeing 747-400F from Moldova’s Aerotranscargo (F5, Chisinau International) to boost the capacity of its SkyCargo unit. According to ATDB.aero, Emirates also operates a single A319ceo (CFM).

Model

Sub-type

Number active

Number inactive

Planned

Retired

Total

Airbus A380

A380-800

102

18

0

45

165

Boeing 777

B777-300ER

123

0

0

32

155

Boeing 777

B777-200LR

9

1

0

0

10

Boeing 777

B777-F (B777-200F)

11

0

5

4

20

Airbus A319

A319ceo (CFM)

1

0

0

0

1

Boeing 747

B747-400F

1

0

0

11

12

Related

The Rise And Fall Of The Airbus A380

The A380 is out of production but still well in use.

Future Emirates fleet

Emirates’ fleet is set to change considerably over the years. As the large (but expensive to operate) A380s are gradually retired, Emirates is purchasing 65x Airbus A350-900s and 35x Boeing 787 Dreamliners. As with most large airlines in the world, new airplanes are always coming to Emirates’ fleet. The Airbus A350s will come with new seat features, an upgraded entertainment system, and an elegant interior design. The exact features of these aircraft have still not been released.

Model

Sub-Type

Number planned

Airbus A350

A350-900

65

Boeing 777

B777-8

44

Boeing 777

B777-9

161

Boeing 777

B777-F (B777-200F)

5 (11 in service)

Boeing 787

B787

5

Boeing 787

B787-10

10

Boeing 787

B787-8

20

An Emirates Airbus A380 on an airport apron.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

The Boeing 777 looks set to remain one of the principal backbones of the Emirates fleet for years to come. Emirates has hundreds of 777s on order, including an impressive 161x Boeing 777-9s, 44x Boeing 777-8s, and another 5x Boeing 777-F freighter aircraft. That’s a total of 210 Boeing 777s on order. Boeing is also ordering 35x Dreamliners, meaning that in the coming years, Emirates will be operating a blend of three or four types of airliners instead of the two it is today.


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    Airbus

    Stock Code:
    AIR

    Date Founded:
    1970-12-18

    CEO:
    Guillaume Faury

    Headquarters Location:
    Toulouse, France

    Key Product Lines:
    Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

    Business Type:
    Planemaker

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    Emirates

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