From yesterday, here it is at SFO: a brand spanking new Emirates Boeing 777-200 LR (Longer Range) straight out of Dubai, on a non-stop flight that lasted almost two-thirds of a day. Click to expand:
Captain Marc, after having flown part of the flight in from the United Arab Emirates:
And this was the reception, starring His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline:
Gina Antonini, until recently a star athelete at UC Berkeley, addressed the crowd on behalf of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is into the idea of Green Flights. What made this flight green? Lots of things, including a continuous decent over Northern California:
San Francisco International Airport Director John Martin, the aforementioned HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, and Steve Kava, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Chief of Staff, all fielded questions at the presser:
And look who’s asking questions – it’s pugnacious New York Times aviation repoter Joe Sharkey, who seemed to be in pretty good shape despite the efforts of the Brazilian aviation system to kill him a few years back. (For now and forever, Nobody Leans on Sharkey’s Machine.)
The mood was jovial, despite the concerns expressed by Mssrs. Matier and Ross, Ashley Harrell and KGO-TV:
Speaking of which, Emirates released a pretty emphatic statement this afternoon:
“Emirates is in full compliance with the laws of the city of San Francisco, the state of California and the United States. Emirates is also in compliance with the Human Rights Commission.
Emirates does not discriminate in hiring in any way, including hiring based on sexual orientation, hiring of single pregnant women or hiring based on weight. We require our cabin crew employees to undergo a medical evaluation to confirm their ability to meet the requirements of the physically-demanding job, but we do not discriminate in hiring based on the results of those findings. Our hiring process is based purely on job qualification.
Emirates is committed to fair practices in employment and hiring in all countries in which we operate. We look forward to serving the Bay Area community.”
Boutros M. Boutros
Senior Vice President, Media Relations, Sponsorships and Events
Emirates Group
So, smiles everyone, smiles!:
Let’s say good bye to Boeing’s big twin…
…as it travels up through Canada, over the pole and down Russia way.
Thursday’s flight is already fully booked, so it looks like EK225 / EK 226 will be a success at SFO.
And if that pans out, maybe we’ll see the A380 superjumbo back at SFO on a regular basis.
Will Dubai become the Hub of Everything? Only Time Will Tell.
More nitty gritty after the jump.
EMIRATES AIRLINE ARRIVES AT SFO WITH NON-STOP SERVICE
FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO DUBAI
WORLD’S LONGEST GREEN FLIGHT GENERATES 1,000 JOBS & $7.7 MILLION IN TAX REVENUE TO
BAY AREA
Dubai, UAE, 15th December 2008 – Emirates Airline, one of the world’s fastest-growing
international airlines, today greeted the arrival of flight EK225, its first non-stop service between
Dubai and San Francisco, at San Francisco International Airport. The arrival of Emirates Airline
to San Francisco will generate an estimated 1,000 new jobs in the Bay Area and an estimated
$7.7 million in state and local tax revenue.
Coinciding with the first flight into SFO, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum,
Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group was joined by Chief of Protocol for
the state of California and San Francisco, Charlotte Shultz and San Francisco International
Airport Director John Martin. Nancy Bennett, the Deputy Director of Governor
Schwarzenegger’s Office was also present and offered a welcome address. The meeting
addressed the positive impact of the new service on the Bay Area including increased
employment opportunities, gross contributions to the local economy and business growth.
“Emirates promises Bay Area travelers and businesspeople an opportunity to reach Dubai and
key transit markets including the Indian Subcontinent and Africa easily and more quickly than
ever before,” said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief
Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.
“We are proud to be generating a thousand jobs in the local market, particularly at such a
difficult economic time. Directly, Emirates will also employ 15 people in San Francisco, and
since starting service in the US four years ago, Emirates has created 250 jobs in the U.S. Within
Emirates Group, we employ over 500 Americans in all areas of our operations,” he added.
Emirates’ service launch will generate an estimated $56.9 million in business revenues annually,
including $41.8 in new revenue for San Francisco and $15.1 million for the tourism and visitor
industry. The service launch is also expected to stimulate an estimated $4.8 million in local
purchases.
“The arrival of Emirates Airline to San Francisco is an economic boon for the city of San
Francisco,” said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Emirates’ new route will bring new jobs
and revenue to San Francisco, while creating a vital new corridor for business and tourism
between the Bay Area and Dubai. It’s my pleasure to welcome Emirates to San Francisco.”
“The greater the global connections the greater the success for regions like the Bay Area and
Dubai in the new global economy,” said Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area
Council. “The Bay Area has the fourth highest concentration of Forbes 2,000 Global Companies
and 645 foreign-owned company subsidiaries. In uncertain times, the Bay Area needs the
economic stimulus and expansion of business opportunities this launch represents.”
The route is a dual milestone of commencing services between two great cities and
demonstrating the best the airline industry can offer in environmental efficiency. The inaugural
flight on the Dubai-San Francisco route marked the world’s longest green flight. Emirates
employed multiple eco-efficient initiatives to save fuel and emissions.
Emirates has made a multi-billion-dollar investment in new state-of-the-art eco-efficient aircraft
by using Boeing 777-200LR, which services the route. Emirates worked closely with
government agencies in Dubai, Iceland, Russia, Canada the United States and other countries to
plot the most environmentally-conscientious trip possible to save approximately 2,000 gallons of
fuel and 30,000 pounds of carbon emissions on the 16-hour direct service.
The 777-200LR is a member of the most fuel-efficient airplane family operating today. Along
with its unique ability to connect Dubai and San Francisco non-stop, the 777-200LR brings
better environmental performance to destinations around the world. The aircraft’s aerodynamic
landing gear and twin engines also allow for a smaller noise footprint- as much as 25 decibels
below the standard.
In one year, a fleet of 16 twin-engine aircraft powered by GE 90 engines will emit 141,000 fewer
tons of greenhouse gas emissions than when using an airframe requiring four engines – this
savings accounts for an area twice the size of Manhattan.
The Boeing 777-200LR offers 266 seats in a three-class configuration and provides up to ten
tons of cargo capacity. Emirates will operate non-stop flights between San Francisco and Dubai
three times a week – on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays – before increasing to daily service
in May 2009.
The flight path runs a distance of 8,103 miles, clocking a journey time of 15 hours and 40
minutes from Dubai to San Francisco, while the return flight from Dubai will be about 16 hours.
Emirates Flight EK225 will depart Dubai at 8:45 am and arrive in San Francisco at 1:00 pm local
time the same day. The return route, Flight EK226, departs San Francisco at 3:45 p.m., arriving in Dubai at 7:25 p.m. the following day.
Emirates currently serves 102 cities around the globe with a young and technologically advanced
fleet of wide-body aircraft that are equipped with industry-leading comforts in the air.
Additionally, Emirates has purchased 60 new wide-bodied aircraft to support the expansion of its
international route network. Operations on Emirates from New York, Houston and Los Angeles
connect America to the world through the airline’s route network with extensive connections to
the Far East, Australia and Africa. On December 15th, Emirates will introduce service to the San
Francisco. For more information, visit www.emirates.com/usa.
Emirates is wholly-owned by the Government of Dubai, but is recognised as an international airline of the UAE. The airline is run on a commercial basis and receives no financial support, financial guarantees or protection from the government, which operates an unconditional open skies policy in Dubai. Despite this, Emirates has been profitable in all but its second year of operation.