Emirates’ aircraft flew around the world more than 18,000 times in 2013. Figures show the airline’s fleet travelled more than 751 million kilometres throughout the year. Taking the earth’s circumference at the equator as 40,075 kilometres, this translates into the equivalent of 18,753 circumnavigations. A total of 164,635 flights were conducted, carrying over 43 million passengers. Subsequently, Emirates Flight Catering loaded nearly 46 mn meals departing Dubai. “2013 has been another impressive year for the airline. We continue to raise the bar in the industry with investment, innovation and expansion of our services,” said Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline. Throughout the year, the airline has received 24 new aircraft – a combination of Airbus A380s, Boeing 777s and 777 freighters. Nine new passenger routes have been launched; Warsaw, Algiers, Tokyo Haneda, Stockholm, Clark, Milan-New York, Conakry, Sialkot and Kabul. Hanoi, Chicago, Kano in Nigeria and Quito in Ecuador have been launched as cargo only destinations. Source: Travel Daily