Emirates’ 71 aircraft order revived industry says Russian Minister 

The recent visit by Emirates Airline’s Chairman, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, to Moscow generated a towering vote of confidence in the airline and in Dubai among top Russian official circles. The Russian Transport Minister, Sergei Frank, declared Emirates’ aircraft order worth US$19 billion, the largest in civil aviation history, had brought back confidence to the air travel industry, shattered as it had been by the conflict in Iraq and the SARS crisis.

The Minister made his remarks when he met Sheikh Ahmed, who was in Moscow on the inaugural trip to celebrate Emirates’ launch of five weekly flights between Dubai and the capital city. Sheikh Ahmed was accompanied by HE Tariq Ahmed Al-Haidan, UAE’s Ambassador to Russia, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations World-wide and Hamad Obaidalla, Vice-President, GCC, Yemen, Iran and CIS.

Sheikh Ahmed thanked the Minister for the warm welcome accorded to Emirates and emphasised that the services would give a strong impetus to tourism, business and commerce between Dubai and Moscow, the effects of which would percolate throughout both UAE and Russia. He hoped that Emirates’ new service was the first of many areas of co-operation between the two countries.

The Minister then spent considerable time consulting Sheikh Ahmed on the success of Emirates and the methods it had employed to finance its aircraft deals and expansion plans. He also revealed that Russia was on the road to modernise Aeroflot, one of the oldest airlines in the world. Calling on all airlines to work closely together, he offered full legal and regulatory support and co-operation that would benefit both Aeroflot and Emirates.

The Minister expressed great confidence in the traffic volumes between the two countries. He said: “Our GDP has increased by 7.4 per cent and this has lead to the strengthening of the Russian Rouble and buoyancy in the economy.

An increasing number of Russian tourists and businessmen are travelling to Dubai, one of the top favourites among my countrymen because of its great climate and shopping opportunities.”

He revealed plans to send an official delegation to encourage UAE businessmen and government officials to use Russian transport lines from Dubai, through Iran, the Caspian Sea and Russia, to European countries as a viable alternative that offers highly competitive fares.

During his visit, Sheikh Ahmed also met Moscow’s Mayor, Yuri Mikhailovich Luzhkov. Besides being the political capital, Moscow is also the country's leading city in terms of demographics, industrial, cultural, scientific, and educational progress, accounting for 40 per cent of the total Russian economy.

Welcoming Sheikh Ahmed, the Mayor said: “There are several potential areas of co-operation between UAE and the Russia Federation. We offer great facilities and high potential for foreign capital investments, enabling  investorsto function within a healthy economic environment. More than  25,000 foreign companies are currently operating in Moscow and we have several new projects in the pipeline for foreign investors. I now invite UAE businessmen to benefit from these projects.”

Emirates’ new service to Moscow was celebrated with an inaugural gala dinner held at Baltchug Kempinski Hotel. It was well attended by government officials, Ambassadors, heads of large Russian and multinational companies,  celebrities and key Russian tour-operators. More than 120 journalists from a wide array of local as well as international print and broadcasting media, including Russian TV channels, attended the press conference that was held the next day, dedicated to the launch of the new route. 

Emirates operates five non-stop flights per week, Tuesday through Saturday. Operated by its well-liked state-of-the-art Airbus A330-200, the aircraft is configured in three classes: 18 seats in First class, 42 in Business and 183  in Economy. Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo arm of the airline, offers around 15 tonnes of cargo capacity to and from Moscow in the belly of the aircraft.