Hamburg: at the unveiling of the new A380, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airlines signed a letter of intent for 30 A350 XWB (extra wide body) and 30 A330-300 aircraft.
In 2007 Emirates signed a firm order for 70 A350 XWBs with an option for 50 more, and today”s order includes the firming up of 30 of these A350 XWB options and will eventually increase the order to 100 for this aircraft.
The A330-300 has a range of up to 5,650 miles with a full passenger load and is used for the medium to extended range market. The A350 XWB has a range of up to 8,300 miles and is available in three basic passenger versions: the A350-800 holds 270 pax, A350-900 with 314 pax and the A350-100 is designed for 350. Airbus estimates the value of the order as $13 billion at list prices before discounts.
Tom Otley