Emirates Airline agrees to buy eight additional Airbus A380s

Dubai based Emirates Airline has signed an agreement to buy eight additional A380 aircraft, taking their total order for the aircraft to 55. The letter of Intent was signed at the 47th International Paris Air show at le Bourget between Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman, Emirates Group and Louis Gallois, Airbus President and CEO.

Emirates was a launch customer for the A380 and already had the largest number of aircraft on order. The A380 fleet will start deliveries in the third quarter of 2008.

“Today, we’ve signalled our intent to buy eight more A380 aircraft, taking our total order to 55. This should leave no one in any doubt about our commitment to Airbus’ very large aircraft. The A380 will offer our customers the latest standards in comfort and Emirates Airline new standards of operational efficiency.” said Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman, Emirates Group.

“It gives us a great sense of pride that Emirates Airline are showing such faith in our A380 product and in Airbus. We thank Emirates Airline for this. Some have labelled the A380 the “gentle giant” and certainly at Airbus we are very proud of the A380’s environmental friendliness with levels of fuel efficiency that will help make aviation better for all,” said Airbus President and CEO Louis Gallois.

Being cleaner, greener, quieter and smarter, the A380 is already setting new standards for transport and the environment. Per passenger, the A380 is as fuel efficient as a small economical family car. The combination of extra passenger capacity without increasing the number of flights, excellent environmental performance and lower operating costs is an ideal solution for both increasingly congested airports and the airlines that serve them.

For passengers, the A380 offers larger, more comfortable seats in all classes and in the quietest cabins in the sky. It also gives airlines flexibility to economically offer improved comfort standards without reducing fleet capacity. By adapting to the latest market trends for larger premium class products, the A380 can typically carry 525 passengers in three classes in unprecedented comfort on flights of over 8000 nm (15 000km).