Airbus has received a major fillip for its troubled A380 programme with the news that Emirates and Qatar have added to their existing orders for the ultra-large aircraft.
Announcing the news at the Paris Air Show this morning, (18 June) Emirates continued its extraordinary spending spree by inking a $2.6bn (”1.3bn) deal for eight A380s, making a total of 55 so far.
Qatar Airways also used the Paris show to announce a three-strong A380 order for an unspecified sum, bringing its total to five aircraft. The Middle East carrier equally signed an existing deal to purchase 80 A350XWB machines.
Emirates will take delivery of its first A380, powered by GP7200 engines, in the third quarter of 2008. The eight additional aircraft ordered today are expected to be delivered during a period of 16 months, starting from July 2011.
The Dubai-based carrier clearly has faith in the double-decker as this latest A380 deal comes on the back of a firm order for four A380s last month.
Airbus is hoping for some good news from this year”s show as an antidote to some of the more negative press it has received concerning its A380 and A350 programmes that have endured a rough ride.
In contrast, Boeing is basking in a raft of deals that sees its 787 Dreamliner programme go from strength to strength.