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| Wednesday, 19 January 2005 |
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Emirates first to buy A380 Emirates became the first airline to sign for the Airbus A380 which was launched in Toulouse, France yesterday. Emirates which has played an integral role in the development of the A380 'superjumbo' is also the largest client of the New GP7200 Engine. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates, who led a delegation of senior executives from the airline for the occasion, said the new aircraft is a key element in Emirates' future growth. We are its largest customer, with 45 of them on order. I am also pleased that we are the launch customer for the freighter version of the A380." Al-Maktoum said. He said that air travel is forecast to double in the next 14 years and there will be continued constraints on traffic rights and the availability of landing slots. "Therefore, large capacity aircraft will be vital to Emirates' need to meet the increasing passenger demand," he said. Emirates has worked closely with Airbus in the design and development of the A380, as the airframe has moved from concept to the drawing board and on to the production line. April 2000 saw Emirates' first formal expression of interest in what was then the A3XX, an interest confirmed three months later at the Farnborough Air Show when it became the first airline to sign a firm commitment and place a deposit for the aircraft. |
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