Airbus Industries recently announced that Dubai-based Emirates Airline had placed a new order for 32 additional A380 super jumbos. Price tag is reported to be $11.5 billion.
Emirates chief executive Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum told reporters, “This latest order, adding to 58 A380s we have booked, affirms our strategy to become a world leading carrier and establish Dubai as a central gateway to global air travel.”
Back in 2004, 58 aircraft were first ordered. Of those, Airbus has delivered 10 jumbos since July of 2008.
Emirates Airline states that an additional five A380s will join its fleet by the end of 2010 and the balance of the order including the new order of 32 planes, are scheduled to fly by 2015.Since 2008, Airbus has confirmed delivery of 30 A380s to multiple global airlines such as Emirates, Qantas, Air France, Singapore and Lufthansa.
The below picture shows shows the first class section bar on board an Emirates Airline Airbus A380 passenger plane.
“The A380 is our flagship in terms of passenger comfort, innovation, environmental efficiency and revenue generation. Our latest commitment signals confidence in the growth to come in a thriving aviation sector as we build our fleet for tomorrow,” the Dubai Sheikh said.
The A380 family has a base capacity of 525 passengers, that can be seated in a three-class configuration in two spacious decks. This super jumbo has a non-stop range of 8,300 nautical miles/15,400km.
Emirates Airline is the leading Middle East airline and will begin its A380 service to Beijing China on August 1. Service to Manchester England starts on September 1 and a return service to New York on October 1.
On Oct 15, 2007, Singapore Airlines was the first airline to accept delivery of the A380. Singapore Airlines now has a fleet of 10 aircraft in operation, flying routes to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, London, Sydney, Zurich and Melbourne.
