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Etihad ‘not interested’ in A380neo as Emirates re-fleets
December 11th 2015
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is not interested in a re-engined upgrade to the A380 as proposed by UAE neighbour Emirates Airline. Read More » "Two engines are operationally and economically more advantageous to us in the long term," Etihad’s CEO, James Hogan, told Reuters at the opening of Etihad’s new lounges at New York’s JFK airport and said Airbus' twin-engine A350-1000 and Boeing’s next-generation B777X are better fits. Etihad operates five A380s with another five on firm order.
Hogan’s comment is the latest in a number of significant setbacks for Airbus’ A380 programme. It is headed for a third year without a new customer, unless the manufacturer’s chief operating officer customers, John Leahy, signs a deal in the next three weeks.
At the Dubai Airshow in November, Leahy said he was working with two potential buyers for 32 A380 orders, which will enable him to make good on a June pledge to bring in 25 orders in 2015, although the talks could run into 2016, he added. Apart from SAUDIA, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) and Turkish Airlines have said they were interested in the double-decker, while operators Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Thai Airways International (THAI) have ruled out top up orders.
Etihad’s A380s feature its one-of-a-kind The Residence and First Apartment cabins. This week, Etihad announced a new partnership with Victor, a fast-growing on-demand private jet charter firm based in London, to complement and promote its first class experience. The partnership with Victor allows passengers to charter a private aircraft connection to or from their international A380 flights.
Hogan said Etihad and its equity partners experienced a decline in bookings for travel from Europe to the Middle East following the Paris attacks last month and had stepped up vigilance for potential security threats. Air France-KLM said in November that cancellations for the month had outpaced bookings.
Separately, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last week reauthorized the commercial cooperation between Etihad and Virgin Australia for another five years, which granted the two carriers antitrust authority, covering joint pricing and scheduling between Australia, the Middle East and beyond, although it does not extend to revenue sharing.
In Dubai, Emirates has specified its fleet plans for 2016. The carrier, under the leadership of CEO, Sir Tim Clark will retire 26 aircraft next year: 12 A330-200s, four A340-300s, an A340-500, six B777-200ERs, two B777-300s and a B777-300ER. Emirates will take delivery of 36 new aircraft in 2016, including 20 A380s and 16 B777-300ERs. Emirates has 244 aircraft in its fleet, with 262 aircraft on order, including 71 A380s, 42 777-300ERs, 115 777-9Xs and 35 777-8Xs, worth more than $120 billion at list prices.
