Emirates Revives The A380 With New Order For 36 Aircraft

The provisional order is for 20 of the double-decker aircraft, with an option for 16 more, making the deal worth potentially as much as $16 billion at list prices. Delivery will begin in 2020. 

The deal serves as a lifeline for the aircraft type, which has not sold as well as expected since it debuted just 10 years ago.

As one of Europe’s most iconic aircraft, Airbus believes the 544-seat superjumbo still has a role as air traffic rises and airports become ever more congested. Rivals Boeing, on the other hand, says the future lies with smaller, twin-engine models such as its B777 and Dreamliner due to the fact that they offer more flexibility and are just as efficient.

The deal with Emirates follows months of negotiations. At the Dubai Airshow in November, it seemed as though talks had broken down as the Gulf carrier made an order with Boeing for 40 of the smaller 787s.

Airbus had previously stated that the future of the A380 was in the hands of Emirates and that it would have “no choice” but to cease production of the A380 should the deal with Emirates collapse. This was despite interest in smaller orders from other airlines.

Emirates is by far the largest operator of the A380 with 101 currently in service and 41 on order from before this latest deal. The last order for the A380 that wasn’t from Emirates was in 2015 when Japan’s ANA purchased three.