Emirates to Boost A380 Orders

DUBAI - Emirates Airline, the Arab world’s largest carrier, will increase its purchase of Airbus A380 aircraft beyond the 58 super-jumbos it has booked so far, in spite of delayed deliveries of planes it has already ordered, the Dubai-based airline’s chairman said on Wednesday.

Published: Thu 12 Nov 2009, 3:01 PM

Last updated: Wed 20 Sep 2023, 2:20 PM

Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the airline would not cancel any of the A380s it has ordered and hinted that the airline might even take over some A380 orders from other airlines that are seeking to postpone their own scheduled deliveries.

“We are always one of the first-movers to take advantage of the market,” Shaikh Ahmed said.

He said that some A380 deliveries had been delayed for “just a short period,” without being specific about the extent of the delays or the number of planes affected.

Speaking to the media at a Press conference ahead of the Dubai Airshow, Shaikh Ahmed, who is also the President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Dubai Airports, declined to disclose the amount of compensation Emirates is seeking from Airbus for the delays.

However, he indicated that the airline would raise the issue of compensation in its discussions with Airbus at the Dubai Airshow, which starts on Sunday.

Emirates so far has received five of the 58 super-jumbos it has ordered from the European plane-maker.

The airline expects better revenues in the second half of the year, Shaikh Ahmed said, adding that “it should be a very good year for us.”

Emirates posted a 165 per cent rise in first-half profits to nearly $205 million earlier this month, thanks to lower operating costs. Revenues, meanwhile, fell by 13.5 per cent during the period.

Shaikh Ahmed’s comments follow remarks by Emirates’ President Tim Clark at the World Travel Market in London on Tuesday, in which Clark said that the airline’s route expansion plans would be affected next year due to delayed deliveries of its A380.

Clark said the delivery setback would affect “one or two” of the 15 A380s the airline was originally scheduled to receive by June of next year.

“We should have had 15 aircraft by June 2010. We are getting two in December and then the remaining eight between January and November next year, so one or two are being pushed back,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

Dubai Airshow organisers, meanwhile, said that 890 companies from 47 countries would exhibit at the five-day event, an increase over the previous event in 2007, when it attracted 850 exhibitors.

To date, 150 new-to-market exhibitors from 20 countries will make their debut at the biennial event, and up to 50,000 visitors are expected, said Alison Weller, director of F&E Aerospace, the air show organiser.

The growth in exhibitor numbers attests to the confidence the aerospace industry continues to show in the Middle East, and in the UAE in particular, Weller said.

About 130 aircraft will be displayed in a static park, including the 14 aircraft types participating in daily flying displays. The airshow runs from November 15 to 19.

The display will feature the Italian Airforce’s Frecce Tricolori and Patrouille de France aerobatic teams. They will be joined by a US Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, a Eurofighter Typhoon of the UK’s Royal Air Force and ane L-15 Falcon jet trainer from China-based AVIC, the first time a Chinese-manufactured trainer is being sent to an international airshow.

issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com