News
Emirates orders two A380s, Oman Air weighs A350 vs B787
April 15th 2016
Emirates Airline this week ordered two more A380s, with deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing its A380 order book to 142, with 75 of the aircraft already in service. Read More »
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said: “From now until the end of 2017, Emirates will retire 30 older aircraft from our fleet. At the same time, to meet our growth expectations, we will take delivery of 24 new B777s and 33 new A380 aircraft, including the two additional A380 aircraft just ordered. This is in line with our strategy to operate a modern and efficient fleet and offer the best possible experience for our customers.”
The newly ordered A380s will be powered by Rolls Royce’s Trent 900s, and feature Emirates’ high-density two-class configuration, seating 58 passengers in business and 557 passengers in economy.
Sources close to the deal have suggested the two aircraft were originally destined for Japanese carrier Skymark Airlines.
“You win some, you lose some,” Airbus might have thought when it transpired that Air Austral had a change in strategy, which led the Indian Ocean carrier to cancel its two on-order A380s. The Reunion-based airline had planned to fit the aircraft with an all-economy 840-seat layout for flights to Paris. Meanwhile, Boeing confirmed to Orient Aviation that Air Austral has placed an order for two early-production B787-8s, expected to be delivered in May.
Better news regarding the A380 came from Abu Dhabi this week, where UAE national carrier, Etihad Airways, said its A380s had performed with a 99.8% reliability rate during the first year of operations. Etihad has six A380s with another four on order.
Oman Air this week said it is deciding between the A350 and the B787 for its future wide-body fleet. Speaking in London, the carrier’s CEO, Paul Gregorowitsch, ruled out the A330neo. “We would seem to be a natural customer [for the neo], but sometimes it’s better to have a new aircraft that’s developed to specifications that’s in competition with the 787, rather than have a face-lifted design.” However, “if we get an offer we can’t refuse [for the neo], then it’s back to the table”, he said.The airline chief continued by suggesting the B787 might be a better fit for reasons of commonality with the B737MAX short-haul fleet on order. Oman Air plans to grow its fleet from 41 now to 70 by 2020.
