Remember that magical memorandum of understanding between Airbus and Emirates for more A380s? Well, good news – they’ve been converted into a firm order.
Emirates A380 taking off from London Heathrow – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The order is confirmed as:
- 20 Airbus A380 aircraft as firm orders
- 16 Airbus A380 aircraft as options
The options can be taken up at a late date if Emirates decide to order them.
At list prices, the value of the order is US$16 billion. Providing all is well, the deliveries for these A380s will start in 2020.
The order was signed at the World Government Summit by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group; and Mikail Houari, Airbus President for Africa and Middle East.
The statements from Emriates and Airbus are par for course.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group states
“This agreement underscores our commitment to the A380 programme, providing stability to the A380 production line and supporting thousands of high-value jobs across the aviation supply chain. For Emirates, the A380 has been a successful aircraft for our customers, our operations, and our brand. We look forward to continue working with Airbus to further enhance the aircraft and onboard product.”
Manwhile Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President Commercial Aircraft and Chief Operating Officer states
“We thank Emirates, HH Sheikh Ahmed, Tim Clark and Adel Al-Redha for their continued confidence in the A380, which has so successfully transformed air travel in the 21st century,”
“This latest agreement further demonstrates the strength of our valued partnership with Emirates in support of their impressive growth.
As I stated – Emirates have thrown the A380 project a lifeline with this order – and to see if the aircraft of the future to handle capacity constraints at airports can continue to do that.
Whilst the traffic landscape is moving away from Hub and Spoke routes, and moving to direct links, there is a question of the validity of the Airbus A380 in the long-term. However, there will be some slot constrained airports that the A380 will slot into nicely.
And it’s up to Airbus to show their numbers and prove that for some missions – the A380 is the right aircraft for the job.
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