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Leahy to seal A380 deals at Dubai Air Show?
August 4th 2017
A recent Bloomberg report said that Airbus Commercial Aircraft chief operating officer customers, John Leahy, has one more mission before he retires: sell more A380s. Read More »
Bloomberg said it is being suggested that Leahy wants to announce Emirates Airline will take another 20 A380s leading up to or during November’s Dubai Air Show. Bloomberg said an Emirates commitment could prompt top-up orders from British Airways owner, IAG, Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Thai Airways International (THAI).
IAG’s Willie Walsh has gone on record reaffirming his interest in the A380 and THAI has said it was very satisfied with its six A380s and that they would continue to be an important part of its fleet. The Thai flag carrier also said it is considering a 20-30 strong wide body replacement order, so the A380 could well be part of the mix.
ANA has three A380s on order from 2019. If it is satisfied with the aircraft it may order more, which could inspire rival Japan Airlines (JAL) to do the same in order to stay competitive in the eye of the customer.
Emirates remains by far the best customer for the A380. It now has 96 of the type, with another 46 on order. President Sir Tim Clark last month denied there would be a top-up order. “I want to know what Airbus will do with the aircraft,” he told Aviation Week. “They need to put the A380s into other airlines.”
Emirates has long requested that Airbus develop a re-engined A380neo, which the OEM has resisted. Instead, Airbus launched the A380plus in June, an updated version of the type with new winglets and a modified configuration that creates space for additional seats.
