Emirates Airline president Tim Clark is in talks with US manufacturer Boeing to develop aircraft that will allow it to fly ultra long-haul flights of up to 20 hours.
The talks are part of the carrier's aim to double its global route network to nearly 270 destinations, it has been reported.
The state-owned carrier currently flies to 134 destinations in 77 countries and Clark told The New Zealand Herald newspaper in an interview he would like to double that figure, but did not give any specific timeline for achieving this.
The Dubai-based carrier currently operates 200 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft and has orders for an additional 194 aircraft, worth more than $71bn.
In a bid to achieve his goal of nearly 270 locations, the report said Clark was in talks with US manufacturer Boeing on a new model of the 777, the 777X, which would allow it to fly ultra long 20-hour flights. Clark said SYD-FCO was on the horizon if the US manufacturer could develop an aircraft that was comfortable enough for passengers to sustain such a single journey...