Emirates announces 2009 expansion plans

Emirates Airline has unveiled plans to grow the number of flights across its network by 14 % in 2009, the airline said this week.

This year, the Dubai based carrier will add 18 new passenger aircraft to its fleet, increasing seating capacity by 14 % and enabling it to start new routes as well as increase frequencies on many existing routes. It will also expand cargo capacity by 17 %.

Emirates currently has a fleet of 129 wide-bodied aircraft. By the end of the 2008-09 financial year (ending 31st March 2009), that figure will stand at 132, including four superjumbo Airbus A380s.