Emirates Would Order Up To 200 A380neos

BERLIN—Emirates would order up to 200 Airbus A380neos if Airbus decided to launch the updated version of the aircraft, its top executive says.

“We would replace our old fleet and need to take more for growth,” Emirates Airline President Tim Clark told an audience at the German Council on Foreign Relations here. That requirement would lead Emirates to an additional order for 100-200 aircraft. The airline currently has firm orders for 140 A380s in place, 58 of which have been delivered.

Clark predicts a 10-13% unit cost improvement for the yet-to-be-launched A380neo compared with the current aircraft. He believes that new engines would bring a 10% reduction in fuel burn, and there would be aerodynamic improvements as well as cabin-weight reductions. Emirates is looking at replacing the current economy class seats with next generation seats that are 30% lighter. That alone would take three metric tons of weight out of the aircraft. Emirates operating the A380neo would lead to a “step change in the bottom line” of the company.

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