After a lot of speculation and some fears for the future of the Airbus SuperJumbo, the A380, the future of the plane seems secure with its leading operator Emirates just confirming an order to add more to it’s fleet.
The end of the A380 was at risk as recently as earlier this week when Airbus Chief Operating Officer, John Leahy said “If we can’t work out a deal with Emirates, then I think there is no choice but to shut down the programme.”
However a Dhs 58.7 billion Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed today between Emirates and Airbus for a further 36 A380s, 20 of which are firm orders and a further 16 are optioned, secures the A380 for at least another 10 years.
Emirates is the largest operator of A380s and currently has 101 in operation, with 41 from previous orders due to be delivered over the next few years, the additional ordered today will take the total Emirates A380 orders to 178 worth in excess of Dhs 220 billion.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: “Emirates truly represents Dubai’s spirit of growth, innovation and resilience. It also epitomises the city’s increasing role in connecting the world in terms of people, capital and information flows. This deal reflects Emirates’ confidence in shaping the future, and its commitment to advancing Dubai’s vision to grow further as a world-class destination and aviation hub.”
The MOU was signed today at Emirates’ Dubai Headquarters between His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group and John Leahy, Airbus COO.
“We’ve made no secret of the fact that the A380 has been a success for Emirates. Our customers love it, and we’ve been able to deploy it on different missions across our network, giving us flexibility in terms of range and passenger mix.” said Sheikh Ahmed “Some of the new A380s we’ve just ordered will be used as fleet replacements. This order will provide stability to the A380 production line. We will continue to work closely with Airbus to further enhance the aircraft and onboard product, so as to offer our passengers the best possible experience. The beauty of this aircraft is that the technology and real estate on board gives us plenty of room to do something different with the interiors.”
Images credit: Emirates