Emirates has played an integral role in the development of the A380 ‘superjumbo’ that Airbus has unveiled this week in Toulouse, France.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman of Emirates, who led a delegation of senior executives from the airline for the occasion, said: “I am very proud that Emirates was the first airline to sign for the A380 – and that today we are its largest customer, with 45 of them on order.”
He added: “This aircraft is a key element in Emirates’ future growth. Air travel is forecast to double in the next 14 years. There are continued constraints on traffic rights and the availability of landing slots, and therefore, large capacity aircraft will be vital to Emirates’ need to meet the increasing passenger demand.”
Sheikh Ahmed concluded: “The A380 is the future of air travel.”
The Dubai-based international airline was not only the first customer for this next generation aircraft, but is also now its biggest customer by a large margin. 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 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.
Making a major long-term commitment, the award-winning carrier signed five passenger and two cargo variants of the A380, along with five further options, in a deal worth US$1.5 billion.
Emirates displayed further confidence in the aircraft at the end of 2001, at a time when most airlines were re-trenching after the terror attacks of 11 September in the US.
Reaffirming its ambition and commitment to maintain the airline’s growth, Emirates ordered a further 15 A380s at the Dubai Air Show in December 2001, part of a multi-aircraft order worth an impressive US$15 billion at list prices.
Emirates’ faith in innovative new technology was underlined further in February 2002 when it placed a US$1.5billion order for 98 GP7000 engines (88 installed and 10 spare), produced by GE Aircraft Engines’ and Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Alliance, to power the 22 A380s ordered up to then.
The airline’s global hub at Dubai International Airport will be ready to receive the double-decker at its newly opened Terminal 3, which will have a total of 23 departure gates and aerobridges specifically designed for the superjumbo.
The arrival of the first Emirates Airbus A380-800 in October 2006 will be a major milestone for the airline. It will signify its first step in the gradual build-up towards becoming the world’s largest operator of the superjumbo.
With a full third of all the orders received so far by Airbus for the new aircraft, Emirates’ position as the leading A380-equipped airline is assured for at least a decade.
For the first time, Emirates will be able to transport more than 500 passengers in a single aircraft, with a quality of airline product and comfort that is Emirates’ trademark and has helped it win more than 250 customer service awards during its less than 20 years in business.
By the end of the decade, with around 40 Emirates A380 in operation, the airliners in the distinctive livery colours of the Dubai-based carrier will have become a familiar sight to millions of travellers.
Millions of other Emirates customers, at dozens of airports throughout the globe, will look forward to another trip on the biggest passenger aircraft ever, which soon will start re-defining the flying experience, courtesy of Dubai’s innovative airline.
Emirates currently operates three direct flights each week from its Dubai base to Malta: on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays on A330-200.