Story ID: GPekairbuses11102016
Emirates Sheds Last Airbus A330 and A340
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Retirements leave the airline with 85 A380s and 160 Boeing 777s
Word Count: 215
Emirates Airline has retired its last Airbus A330 and A340 widebodies from active service, the carrier announced Thursday. The moves make it the only carrier in the world to operate a fleet of all Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s for its passenger flights.

The recent retirement of A330 A6-EAK marked the culmination of Emirates’ plan to shed all 29 of its twin-engine Airbuses. The airplane joined Emirates in 2002 and had flown for more than 60,000 hours, traveling some 24 million nautical miles in 14 and a half years. Emirates also recently retired its last A340 quadjet. Manufactured in 1999, A340 A6-ERN joined the airline in 2004.

Since January of last year, Emirates has retired 18 A330s and five A340s, which together averaged 16.5 years of age. Next, Emirates plans to phase out some 25 aging 777s over the course of 2017 and 2018. Now averaging 5.2 years old, Emirates’ fleet most recently absorbed its 85th A380 and 125th 777-300ER. The airline expects to take 20 Airbus A380s and 16 Boeing 777s during the 2016 calendar year.

Along with the 85 A380s, Emirates flies 160 Boeing 777s, making it the largest operator of both those types. Out of the 234 aircraft worth more than $112 billion in Emirates’ order book, 150 new Boeing 777Xs will begin arriving in Dubai in 2020.