Emirates sets delivery date for first A380
June 6, 2008Emirates has confirmed that the first of 58 Airbus A380s it has ordered will be delivered on July 28.
No other airline has placed a larger order for the record-breaking plane - which has a maximum capacity of 853 passengers - though Singapore Airlines (SA) is already operating five of the aircraft.
While Emirates has so far declined to reveal details about its interior design for the aircraft, it is likely to include suites with full-sized beds akin to the Singapore Airlines layout.
The carrier's chief executive, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, said that he expected the new aircraft to prove exceptionally popular.
"The A380, with its large capacity and excellent operating economics, will be one of the pillars of Emirates' future growth," the sheikh confidently asserted.
"We've been working very closely with Airbus since the A380 programme's inception back in 2000, and all through the ups and downs from the drawing board to production, we have remained unshakable in our belief that this is the aircraft for the next chapter of aviation."
At current list prices, Emirates' A380 order book is setting the company back some $18.8 billion (£9.6 billion).
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