Dubai-based Emirates placed an $11.5 billion order with Airbus for 32 additional A380 aircraft, increasing the total firm order to 90 super-jumbos. The announcement comes amidst a 22nd year of profit for the international carrier, up 416 percent to close at $964 million over its 2008-2009 profits of $187 million.
As the second largest airline in the world in available seat kilometers, Emirates has 48 Airbus 380s, 70 Airbus 350s, 18 Boeing 777-300s and seven Boeing air freighters on order— totaling 143 wide-body aircraft worth more than $48 billion. The airline now serves eight international destinations with the super-jumbo aircraft, including London, Toronto, Paris, Jeddah, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney and Auckland. It will start A380 services to Beijing beginning August 1, Manchester, England beginning September 1, and will return service to New York’s JFK on October 1.
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