Emirates Boss Keen For Airbus To Produce An A380 Replacement

Nearly one year after the last Airbus A380 was delivered to Emirates, its CEO Tim Clark has announced a desire for Airbus to build a replacement jumbo jet. The airline has undoubtedly been the biggest supporter of the aircraft, acquiring nearly half of all A380s. Airbus has no plans to restart production of the aircraft as global demand is calling for smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft. It is unlikely that Airbus would build another jumbo to meet the needs of one airline.

Hopeful for another jumbo

The CEO of Emirates, Tim Clark, has recently made it known to the public that both he and the airline he represents is hopeful that Airbus will produce a replacement for the gargantuan A380. This information was shared nearly a year after the last A380 was delivered to Emirates. Airbus has entirely ceased production and has informed the public that it has no plans to restart the project.

Emirates has acquired nearly half of all Airbus A380s. Photo: Emirates

Clark has been one of the aircraft’s most vocal supporters. Nearly half of all A380s ever produced have become valuable assets of Emirates. It has become a key asset to the airline’s operations. Based in Dubai, the A380 has assisted Emirates in connecting passengers from all corners of the earth through its central hub. Clark told the public that he believed the aircraft to be far from obsolete. Clark stated,

“The notion that the A380 was a spent force was always a little bit of a difficult one for us to swallow.

“I was chuckling to myself, thinking ‘Wait and see.’ We started flying the A380 into Heathrow six times a day in October of last year, and we haven’t had a [free] seat on any of them since.”

A shrinking fleet

Airbus chalked up the A380 project as a commercial failure. Despite selling hundreds of aircraft, the manufacturer did not receive sufficient orders to consider the project a success. Emirates has 118 A380s in its fleet, 80 of which are currently operating. The aviation industry has seen a significant resurgence in demand for air travel since travel restrictions have been eased. While the pandemic was the nail in the coffin for many jumbo jets, Emirates had little choice but to hold on to the jumbo.

Emirates fleet of Boeing 777s does not have the capacity required to fully replace the A380. Photo: Boeing

The airline now has plenty of demand to fill its jumbos and plans to see all of its A380s returned to service by spring 2023. Close to 70 of these A380s will undergo interior renovations later this year. The airline will be installing a new premium economy class, reducing the number of available seats from 519 to 484.

Emirates currently plans on retiring its A380 fleet in the mid-2030s. The airline is hopeful that a new jumbo will come along before this, but it is preparing to operate without these jumbo assets. The airline has ordered 50 smaller, more fuel-efficient A350 aircraft to fill the crucial role played by the A380, as well as the 777X. The airline also operates a sizable fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft. Unfortunately for the airline, neither the A350 nor the 777 can rival the capacity of the A380.

What do you think of Emirate’s request for another Airbus jumbo? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: CNN