Emirates expects a "record" annual financial result, said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates airline and group, adding that if the Dubai government asked the company to list, then he would proceed with it.
"We are very satisfied when it comes to our cash reserves on the airline side," he said at a press conference on Monday on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
"If they [the Dubai government] say do it [an initial public offering] tomorrow, I have to do it."
The airline, which is retrofitting about 90 per cent of its total fleet and has more than 300 aircraft on its orderbook, has an appetite for additional new jets and hinted at a possible plane order at the Dubai Airshow in November.
"We're also thinking about the Dubai Airshow and maybe there will be some new announcement," Sheikh Ahmed said, declining to specify the size of a potential plane order or the aircraft models.
Emirates airline president Tim Clark in March told Bloomberg TV that the carrier is “in the market” for more Airbus A350s and Boeing 777Xs.
Asked if the larger A350-1000 model is an option for a possible order, despite issues that Emirates has with the performance of the Rolls Royce engines powering the plane, Sheikh Ahmed said: "We look at it, but no decision has been made."
He said Emirates expects to receive deliveries of its long-delayed Boeing 777X aircraft in the second half of 2026, and is scheduled to get 12 to 15 Airbus A350-900s this year. Emirates will spend about $5 billion to retrofit its older Boeing 777 and discontinued Airbus A380s to keep older aircraft flying for longer, amid delays in deliveries of new models.
While airlines receive compensation from plane makers for delayed aircraft deliveries, it does not match the revenue earned from receiving and flying those jets, Sheikh Ahmed said.
Compensation "is not to the extent that I want to see the aircraft flying. I will be able to make more money than the compensation. That's it", he said. Emirates was supposed to get 90 Boeing 777Xs today if the aircraft debuted on time.
Asked if Emirates would be ready to buy Boeing aircraft destined for Chinese airlines if they are not delivered due to the escalating US-China trade war, Sheikh Ahmed said: "Maybe yes, but also it's not as simple as that."
An aircraft destined for a Chinese airline will be fitted out in that carrier's cabin interiors, seats and design. However, Emirates would not simply load passengers on an aircraft that is not up to its own standards and specs.
"If you think about those aircraft, they were going to China, so we expect that they will be in whatever airline's fit-out, seats, looks, you name it," he said.
"But for me, if I will operate any aircraft as Emirates, it's got to be Emirates-themed."
I didn’t see any shift in terms of decline in the number of people traveling to the US
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed,
chairman and chief executive, Emirates airline and group
The additional cost for stripping out the aircraft interiors and retrofitting them would be more expensive.
"I'm sure that Boeing will not sell it at half the price ... Taking this aircraft, stripping this aircraft, retrofitting, it will be a bit expensive to deal with that."
No tariffs impact
Emirates does not see an impact on its business from US President Donald Trump's imposed tariffs regime.
"It's a bit early for me to pre-judge as we speak today but I always remain very optimistic in terms of seeing any issue that we can deal with that will really affect the business. Businesses are used to seeing an increase in costs," Sheikh Ahmed said.
"We are doing very well in terms of traffic and seat factor, on every point on the whole network ... I didn’t see any shift in terms of decline in the number of people traveling to the US."
The airline chairman said he remains "very optimistic" that 2025 will be another good year.
DWC contracts awarded
Dubai has awarded contracts for its $35 billion new terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), marking progress in the mega-project, according to Sheikh Ahmed.
Work has started on the airport since Dubai's ruler gave the go-ahead on the project a year ago, he said.
Emirates is expected to move its operations to the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) within the decade.
"When we talk about an airport of that size, we have to think how complex it can be," he said.
Stakeholders including home carriers Emirates, Flydubai, Dubai Airports, Dnata and others are engaged in preparing a plan to "make it perfect at the day of the opening", he said. This will require an extensive Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) programme ahead of the opening.
"Just because of the size (of the airport), just on the training side on opening for that day, maybe we need about 12 months,” he said, adding that the existing airport terminals in Dubai took about three to four months of preparations for opening day.
More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDual%20synchronous%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C108hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C340Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%20(front%20axle)%3B%20two-speed%20transmission%20(rear%20axle)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E488-560km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh928%2C400%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOrders%20open%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Book%20Details
%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EThree%20Centuries%20of%20Travel%20Writing%20by%20Muslim%20Women%3C%2Fem%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEditors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiobhan%20Lambert-Hurley%2C%20Daniel%20Majchrowicz%2C%20Sunil%20Sharma%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndiana%20University%20Press%3B%20532%20pages%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
