Emirates Airline buys 60 Airbus wide-body aircraft

Dubai based Emirates Airline has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for 30 Airbus A350XWB plus 30 A330-300s. The agreement was signed between Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group and Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO on the occasion of their first A380 delivery in Hamburg, Germany.

At the 10th Dubai Airshow in 2007, Emirates signed a firm order for 70 A350 XWBs with an option for 50 more. Today’s agreement includes the firming up of 30 of these A350 XWB options and will eventually increase Emirates’ total order for the A350 XWB to 100.

Sheikh Ahmed said, “Dubai's aims to attract 15 million visitors a year by 2012 and Emirates is forging ahead with expansion plans. The A350 XWB and A330 will enable Emirates to expand using modern fuel efficient aircraft and alongside the A380 will be key tools in achieving our goals.”

“Emirates Airline continues to impress with its pace of growth. We are honoured in the faith Emirates places in Airbus and we are delighted that the vision and innovation that are hallmarks of the A330, the A350 and all Airbus aircraft products, will further support the growth and success of Emirates. These orders and the delivery of its first A380, make this a truly remarkable day in the history of both companies,” said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO.

With a true wide-body fuselage allowing very high comfort standards, the A330-300 is able to accommodate seat and class configurations to suit the diverse customer requirements. It has a range of up to 5,650 nm / 10,500 km with a full passenger load. Highly efficient and optimized for the medium – to extended range market, the A330-300 offers the best balance between range and cost, which is reinforced today by high fuel prices. The A330-300 is the current most economical means of flying around 300 passengers on medium range routes in true long-haul comfort.

The A350 XWB (Xtra Wide-Body) Family is Airbus’ response to widespread market demand for a series of highly efficient medium-capacity long-range wide-body aircraft. With a range of up to 8,300 nm / 15,400 km, it is available in three basic passenger versions: the A350-800 accommodating 270 passengers, the A350-900 seating 314, and the A350-1000 for 350 passengers in a typical three-class layout. The A350 has the widest fuselage in its category, offering unprecedented levels of comfort, the lowest operating costs and lowest seat mile cost of any aircraft in this market segment. Powered by two new generation Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines delivering each up to 92,000 lbs of thrust, the A350 XWB Family is designed to confront the challenges of high fuel prices, rising passenger expectations, and environmental concerns. Not taking the Emirates LoI into account, firm orders for the aircraft stand at more than 470 from 28 customers.

Airbus is an EADS company.



More...