Emirates says jet delays are disrupting plans for growth

Emirates said aircraft delays from Boeing Co. and Airbus SE are disrupting the carrier’s growth plans, and added costs dwarf the compensation the Gulf carrier has received from the planemakers. The setbacks include lost business from expansion it’s had to put off, as well as added costs to overhaul existing aircraft, CCO Adnan Kazim said in an interview. “There are a lot of missed opportunities,” Kazim said. “With how the growth is coming in, we are definitely in need of these aircraft now or yesterday even.” Emirates is the latest airline to speak out about jet delivery delays costing them business. Deutsche Lufthansa AG CEO Carsten Spohr said this week that the hold-up in handovers was costing the airline several hundred million euros in annual earnings. Emirates is spending $4b overhauling its existing fleet of Airbus A380 double-deckers and Boeing 777 jets, as the entry into service of the 777X that will replace those planes has been further delayed until 2026, while the first handover of the A350 model has been postponed multiple times this year. <br/>