Emirates Airlines sees 2012-13 income up 18-20%

Dubai's Emirates Airlines said its year to March 2013 income is seen rising by 18 to 20 percent, as the Gulf emirate officially opened the world's first concourse dedicated to Airbus A380 superjumbos. The biggest carrier in the Middle East will see "an 18 to 20 percent income rise this year," Tim Clark, president of Emirates told reporters. For the first six months of the current fiscal year the airlines' net profit jumped by 104 percent to 1.7 billion dirhams ($464 million) from 836 million dirhams in the corresponding period of the previous year. In the year to March 2012 Emirates had posted a net profit of 1.5 billion dirhams, down from 5.4 billion dirhams in the previous accounting year. Clark said the fast-growing airline expects to have a fleet of some 210 aircraft by spring 2014. Dubai Airports, meanwhile, said its Concourse A, which is the world's first facility built to serve the Airbus A380 superjumbo, had become fully operational. The concourse features 20 gates compatible with the double-deck aircraft for which Emirates is the largest single customer with 31 planes in service and 59 others on order.