Emirates thinks big as profit soars 52pc

DUBAI-BASED Emirates has promised to drive "considerable economic growth" in the countries that it serves after thumbing its nose at the weak global economic environment by posting a 52 per cent jump in annual profit.
The Qantas alliance partner, already the world's biggest airline in terms of international traffic, undertook the biggest capacity increase in its history in 2012-13; with a further 198 aircraft -- worth more than $US71 billion -- on order, it has already announced four new routes for this financial year.