DUBAI, Oct 9, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai-based airline Emirates is to take delivery of its second A380 superjumbo this month, its president said on Thursday, adding that he hoped Airbus would stick to the new delivery timetable after earlier delays.

DUBAI, Sept 28, 2008 (AFP) - Thousands of people, mostly Filipinos, are awaiting renewal of their visas for the United Arab Emirates on the Iranian island of Kish or the Omani town of Buraimi, Dubai newspapers reported on Sunday.

The Khaleej Times and Gulf News said the cause of the backlog is a change made in July to the rules for renewing United Arab Emirate visas.

DUBAI, September 14, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai's Emirates airline said on Sunday it was still in talks with Airbus about the delayed delivery of a second A380 superjumbo.

'The delivery of our second A380 aircraft will be pushed back by a few weeks,' a spokeswoman for the airline owned by the Dubai government told AFP.

DUBAI, September 11, 2008 (AFP) - A Briton who sparked a bomb alert on an Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai in July while he was drunk told a court in the Gulf emirate that he was joking, newspapers reported on Thursday.

'It was a joke,' Mark Winter, 37, told the court on Wednesday, as he pleaded not guilty to attacking a civilian airliner, the papers said.

DUBAI, September 8, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai-based airline Emirates announced on Monday that it is suspending flights using its lone Airbus A380 superjumbo until later this week while repairs are carried out.

'Our next scheduled commercial A380 flight to New York is Friday 12th September,' an Emirates spokesman said.

DUBAI, August 30, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai's Emirates airline on Saturday took delivery of two long-range Boeings, a 777-200LR and 777-300ER, bringing the carrier's all wide-bodied passenger fleet to 111 aircraft.

Costing more than 500 million dollars, the two new airliners will be used on routes to and from north and south America, the United Arab Emirates' WAM news agency reported.

PARIS, August 30, 2008 (AFP) - Delivery of a second Airbus A380 to Emirates, the airline of the United Arab Emirates, will suffer a further delay of two months, an Emirates spokeswoman told AFP on Saturday.

PARIS, August 30, 2008 (AFP) - Delivery of a second Airbus A380 to Emirates, the airline of the United Arab Emirates, will suffer a further delay of two months, French daily Le Figaro reported Saturday

Emirates put its first giant A380 into service on August 1 with a direct flight from Dubai to New York.

GENEVA, August 25, 2008 (AFP) - An Arab sheikh convicted of assaulting a US national in a luxury Geneva hotel will be granted an appeal hearing on November 24, judicial authorities in the Swiss city said Monday.

HAMBURG, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - The Gulf airline Emirates took delivery on Monday of its first Airbus A380 superjumbo jet after repeated delays and promptly said it would buy 60 other planes from the European firm.

DUBAI, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai carrier Emirates underscored the rapid growth of air travel in the oil-rich Gulf region on Monday as it takes delivery of its first Airbus super jumbo, the world's largest civilian airliner.

HAMBURG, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - The Gulf airline Emirates has signed a letter of intent to buy 60 more Airbus planes, comprising 30 A330-300s and 30 A350s, its chief executive Sheikh Ahmed ibn Said al-Maktum said here on Monday.

He was in this northern port city to take delivery of Emirates' first A380 super jumbo jet.

DUBAI, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai carrier Emirates takes delivery on Monday of its first Airbus A380, the world's largest civilian airliner, in a move that underscores the rapid growth of air travel in the oil-rich Gulf region.

DUBAI, July 9, 2008 (AFP) - A drunken British passenger sparked a bomb alert on Wednesday as an Emirates airline flight from Manchester in Britain landed at Dubai, an official for the carrier said.

'We can confirm there was an incident involving a passenger aboard EK20 from Manchester this morning after it had landed safely in Dubai,' an Emirates official said.

NEW YORK, June 9, 2008 (AFP) - Emirates airline said Monday it would launch nonstop service between Dubai and New York on August 1, the first service to the United States with the new Airbus A380 superjumbo.

DUBAI, June 5, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai's Emirates airline, the largest customer of the Airbus A380, announced on Thursday that it would receive the first of 58 superjumbos in July.

'Emirates airline, the largest customer for the A380 superjumbo... will receive the first of its 58 A380 aircraft on order from Airbus? Hamburg facility on 28 July,' a statement said.

GENEVA, May 12, 2008 (AFP) - The brother of the president of the United Arab Emirates, accused of assaulting a US national in a Geneva hotel in 2003, will have his case heard in court on June 19, according to a legal document from Geneva authorities.

DUBAI, May 6, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai airline Emirates said on Tuesday it had been informed by European plane manufacturer Airbus of new delays in deliveries of the A380 superjumbo.

'Yes, Emirates can confirm that it has received the letter from Airbus,' a spokesman said, when asked if it had been informed of the delays. 'At present we have nothing more to add.'

DUBAI, April 30, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai's Emirates Airlines on Wednesday posted a record 62.1 percent increase in its annual profits to 1.37 billion dollars in the financial year 2007-08 despite surging fuel costs.

Total revenues of the Middle East's largest carrier increased 32.3 percent to 39.5 billion dirhams (10.8 billion dollars), Emirates said in a statement.

COLOMBO, March 30, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai's Emirates Airlines said Sunday it would stop sharing routes with Sri Lanka's national carrier when its decade-long management contract expires this month.

'Code share arrangements between Emirates and SriLankan Airlines will cease from 31st March 2008 with the expiry of the management agreement,' Emirates said in a statement released here.

DUBAI, March 25, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai-based airline Emirates on Tuesday denied reports it is planning to buy a new regional passenger jet under development in Japan -- the first such aircraft to be built in the country.

TOKYO, March 25, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai-based Emirates Airlines may buy Japan's first passenger jet airplane, which is being developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., a report said Tuesday.

DUBAI, March 18, 2008 (AFP) - The ruler of the booming Gulf emirate of Dubai, home to the largest airline in the Middle East, on Tuesday ordered the creation of a new low-cost carrier.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum said the airline would serve the growing number of passengers travelling to and from the United Arab Emirates, the official WAM news agency reported.

GENEVA, March 17, 2008 (AFP) - The brother of the president of the United Arab Emirates, accused of assaulting a US national in a Geneva hotel in 2003, will have his case heard in court on May 8, a legal source said Monday.

DUBAI, March 2, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai-owned Emirates airlines, the largest carrier in the Middle East, said on Sunday it would begin flying its fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos in October.

Emirates is scheduled to fly the giant double-decker plane for the first time on October 1, on a non-stop flight from Dubai to New York after which the flight would become daily, a statement said.

DUBAI, Jan 23, 2008 (AFP) - Dubai state-owned Emirates airlines should privatise between 20 and 30 percent of its shares within the next two years, the company's president was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

COLOMBO, Jan 6, 2008 (AFP) - Emirates Airlines Sunday announced it was willing to sell all or part of its near 44 percent stake in SRI LANKA Lanka's national carrier after terminating its management contract with the carrier.

COLOMBO, Jan 6, 2008 (AFP) - Emirates Airlines Sunday announced it will terminate its management of SRI LANKA Lanka's national carrier in March after 10 years.

The Dubai-based airline in a statement said it will cease to run SriLankan Airlines from April 1, with the imminent ending of a decade-long contract.

COLOMBO, Dec 21, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai-based airline Emirates said Friday it was standing by the chief executive it had appointed to run SRI LANKA Lanka's national carrier, just days after the island revoked his work permit.

NEW DELHI, Nov 27, 2007 (AFP) - SriLankan Airlines wants a new management contract to be signed soon with Dubai-owned Emirates, chief executive Peter Hill said Tuesday, forecasting a 'tough' year for the island's carrier.

DUBAI, Nov 13, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai-owned Emirates airline, already the largest carrier in the Middle East, has reinforced its position as regional market leader with multi-billion-dollar orders at the Dubai air show.

Emirates' buying spree is in step with the ambitious plans of the city-state to establish itself as a regional hub for travel, tourism and business.

DUBAI, Nov 11, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai-based airline Emirates said on Sunday that it had ordered 12 Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft at a cost of 3.2 billion dollars.

The airline's chairman and chief executive, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, made the announcement at a news conference on the first day of the Dubai air show, the world's third biggest.

DUBAI, Nov 11, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai-based airline Emirates said on Sunday that it had ordered 70 midsized A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) aircraft from Airbus with an option for 50 more.

DUBAI, Nov 7, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai-owned Emirates Airways posted record net half-year profits on Wednesday topping 643 million dollars (437 million euros) -- up 99 percent from 323 million dollars (219 million euros) last year.

SINGAPORE, Nov 1, 2007 (AFP) - A top executive of Dubai-based carrier Emirates on Thursday rubbished Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary on climate change, saying he did not believe the film's scientific theory on global warming.

DUBAI, Oct 29, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai state-owned carrier Emirates said Monday it may consider a stock market floatation, close on the heels of an announcement by holding company Dubai World of a similar initial public offering (IPO).

'I think more and more Dubai companies will see that this is important in the near future. The DP World IPO is a very positive thing. I think for sure Emirates will also, in the future, do something like that,' Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum told The Times of London.

CANNES, Oct 18, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai carrier Emirates expects to take delivery of its first Airbus A380 superjumbo in August next year and hopes to have it in service the following month, airline president Tim Clark said Thursday.

Clark said the A380, the first of 55 on order, 'will fly almost immediately, in September, if we get it in August.'

The airline will get four or five more of the aircraft next year, he added.