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Tom Enders: “We will still produce A380s in 10 years”
November 10th 2017
Speaking on the side lines of the delivery ceremony for the 100th A380 to Emirates Airline in Hamburg, Airbus CEO, Tom Enders, said the European OEM would “still produce A380s in ten years”. Read More » But considering the current backlog, Airbus will have a difficult time sustaining A380 production to 2028.
Emirates has 40 A380s on firm order, All Nippon Airways (ANA) has three in its books and Singapore Airlines will take delivery of four more A380s to replace older aircraft of the type.
In June, Airbus announced the A380plus, which promised a fuel burn reduction of up to 4% vis-à-vis the current A380, but the improved version of the mega jet has not attracted any orders.
As the A380’s best customer by far, Emirates has said it was interested in more A380s if Airbus agreed to produce a re-engined A380neo, an option the manufacturer has resisted to date.
Speaking at the Hamburg delivery, Enders said there was still “huge potential” for A380 upgrades. Emirates CEO, Sir Tim Clark, said the airline’s future hub at Dubai World Central (DWC) could accommodate up to 200 A380s at any one time.
