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 , 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 , 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.
