Emirates airline plans to expand its fleet to 100 aircraft by 2010 from the current number of 52.
A senior official told Gulf News Thursday that the plan is aimed to cope with the increasing number of tourists visiting the country, expected to reach six million in Dubai only by 2006.
"Emirates will now work on amending its expansion plans and could have 100 aircraft instead of 52 by 2010," said Ghaith Al Ghaith, commercial operations executive director.
"On Tuesday, we were informed that we should work on plans guaranteeing that Dubai receives 15 million tourists by 2010," he added. "Our earlier expansion plans were based on predictions that Dubai will have six million visitors by 2010. Emirates, based on the new instructions, will therefore amend its expansion plans."
Meanwhile, UAE’s interior ministry has issued a new ruling to allow citizens from 33 countries in Europe, North America and the Pacific Rim to enter the Gulf state without obtaining a visa in advance, said the airline in its website.
Citizens of these countries can now be boarded at points of embarkation without a visa, said the airline – Albawaba.com
