2018: Emirates saves Airbus A380 with order for up to 36....

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articl ... ry-up.html

Having received no new orders for the world's largest passenger airline for the past two years,
Airbus admitted on Monday it might have to end production of the A380 double-decker jet.

"If we can't work out a deal with Emirates, there is no choice but to shut down the program,"
the European aerospace group's chief salesman John Leahy told reporters in Paris.

Airbus had been banking on additional orders of the superjumbo from the Dubai-based airline last November
to complement its 100-strong A380 fleet,
but instead Emirates sealed a deal to buy 40 Boeing Dreamliners.

Talks ongoing

The plane maker is still talking to Emirates about buying more than 30 more of the A380 in order to secure future production.

Leahy said Emirates is "the only one who has the ability" to commit to a minimum of six planes a year
for a minimum of eight to 10 years,
which Airbus needs to make the program viable.

Just 15 of the planes were delivered last year,
with 12 more set for dispatch in 2018.

The last order, for three jets, was made in January 2016 by Japan's ANA,
and that was the first after nearly three years.

Despite marking its 10th year in the skies last year,
orders for the A380 have fallen dramatically as airlines struggled to make profits

Airlines have complained that they have to fly every flight at full capacity in order to make a profit.

[Stratofreighter]

...and a "life line"...

https://www.ft.com/content/6e99d902-fc3 ... 9be7f3120a

Big Emirates order throws lifeline to struggling A380 super-jumbo

Airbus able to keep line open following $16bn deal for 36 aircraft

Dubai’s Emirates Airline has signed an initial agreement to buy 36 Airbus A380 aircraft, including 20 firm orders and the option for 16 more in a deal valued at $16bn, marking a critical win that will salvage the super-jumbo jet programme.

The deliveries, expected to start in 2020, will guarantee production of the plane for at least another decade, said John Leahy, Airbus’ sales chief.

“I’m personally convinced more orders will follow Emirates’ example and that this great aircraft will be built well into the 2030s.”The deal repairs the setback in November, when an expected order for 36 Airbus from Emirates did not materialise at the Dubai air show.

The agreement was signed with Emirates’ chairman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who said the Dubai airline would use some of the aircraft for fleet replacements.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... gram-boost

18 januari 2018 11:22 CET Updated on 18 januari 2018 12:12 CET

Gulf giant agrees to buy as many 36 superjumbo aircraft

Deal set to extend program for at least another decade

Airbus SE won a program-saving order for its A380 superjumbo that could be worth $16 billion at list prices and add at least a decade to the model’s lifespan.

Persian Gulf carrier Emirates, already the biggest A380 customer, signed an outline
agreement for 20 of the double-deckers with an option to buy 16 more,
the Dubai-based company said Thursday,
handing Airbus its first orders for the flagship model in more than two years.

The purchase will extend A380 production until 2029
if Emirates takes all of the planes, according to Airbus,
which as recently as Monday had acknowledged that the program could be terminated without a new sale soon.

The carrier had scuttled a deal for the same number of aircraft in November 2017 amid doubts about the manufacturer’s commitment to improving the plane.

“This new order underscores Airbus’s commitment to produce the A380 at least for another 10 years,”
John Leahy, the planemaker’s outgoing sales chief, said in a statement.

“I’m personally convinced more orders will follow Emirates’s example.”

The new aircraft will be delivered from 2020,
with engine options still under evaluation.

Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc is supplying turbines as part of Emirates’s most recent order for 50 A380s, while the Engine Alliance of General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney powered the previous 90.

If Emirates signs off on the full deal it will have committed to a total of 178 A380s,
or more than half of all orders for the plane worldwide.

The carrier currently has 101 superjumbos in its fleet, and many older aircraft will have been phased out before the new batch arrives.

Emirates Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who signed the deal with Leahy in Dubai, said the carrier will work with Airbus
“to further enhance the aircraft and onboard product.”

As of the end of last year, Airbus had a total of 95 unfilled A380 orders,
though only 48 of those,
the vast bulk from Emirates, can be regarded as credible,
according to Jefferies International Ltd. analyst Sandy Morris.