Emirates airline ordered 70 Airbus jets at a value of $21.5 billion (Dh78.97bn) and reached an agreement with the plane manufacturer to receive 14 more A380s, whose production will stop by 2021.
Emirates ordered 40 A330-900 aircraft and 30 A350-900 jets, the airline said in a statement on Thursday. The latest generation of A330neo and A350 aircraft, will be delivered to Emirates starting from 2021 and 2024, respectively.
The Toulouse plane manufacturer and Emirates reached an agreement on the outstanding A380 deliveries, according to which the airline will receive 14 more double-decker jets from 2019 through to the end of 2021.
These deliveries will take Emirates' total A380 order book to 123 units, a drop from the original 162 figure.
“While we are disappointed to have to give up our order and sad that the programme could not be sustained, we accept that this is the reality of the situation," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates.
The A380 is a "differentiator" for Emirates and the aircraft "will remain a pillar" of its fleet until the 2030s, he added.
Emirates, which shunned the double-decker at the 2017 Dubai Airshow for Boeing's 787s, salvaged the A380's production in January of last year with an order for 20 more jets as the future of the superjumbo was in question.
Until that point, Airbus had not sold the aircraft dubbed the flying palace in more than two years. Emirates, which invested billions of dollars to establish a transportation hub in Dubai, had demanded that Airbus commit to a production timeline of at least a decade due to a lack of traction from other airlines for the aircraft and the absence of a secondary market for the jet.
But even with Emirate's order, the market dynamics didn't change for the A380, making it the second most iconic aircraft to be retired after the Concorde ceased operating in 2003.
“As a result of this decision we have no substantial A380 backlog, and hence no basis to sustain production, despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years. This leads to the end of A380 deliveries in 2021,” said Airbus chief executive Tom Enders.
__________
The age of the A380 - how to fly the world's largest passenger play
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Airbus incurred €463 million (Dh1.191 billion) in charges for scrapping the production of the A380. The first double-decker to go into operation was in 2007 as part of Singapore Airlines’ fleet, and was retired in June 2017. Airbus' shares rallied in morning trading, jumping 5.3 per cent to €109.86 at 10:43am Paris time.
Sheikh Ahmed said Emirates’ order of A330neos and A350s complements the airline's fleet mix, enhances its flexibility and supports the growth of its network. The jets will "play an important role in our future fleet and network plans", he said.
Emirates will operate the A330neos on its regional destinations, helping the airline serve smaller airports and new routes, and also provide the latitude to enhance its global network. The A350s will supplement Emirates’ long-haul operations, providing the airline with added flexibility in terms of capacity deployment on eight to 12-hour routes from its Dubai hub.
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Cabin tour: inside an Emirates A380
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Emirates ordering the A330neos and A350s and reducing its original order of A380, lessens "its exposure to the giant jet and arguably introduces more fleet flexibility", said Saj Ahmad, chief analyst of StrategicAero Research.
"This is critical with its deepening relationship with flydubai in its pursuit to expand and capture efficiencies across its growing fleet. Given that Emirates leases all its A380s, it has shielded itself against a new defunct programme and an asset whose values will only decline as time goes on," he said.
Meanwhile, Etihad Aviation Group said it has restructured its aircraft orders after concluding talks with Airbus and Boeing.
The parent of Etihad Airways said on Thursday it will take delivery of five long-range A350-1000 aircraft and 26 A321neos from the European manufacturer Airbus and receive six 777-9x from the US plane maker Boeing.
Middle East airlines will spend about $600bn on new aircraft in the next 20 years, as the fleet size of the regions’ carriers are projected to more than double to 3,320 aircraft in the period, according to Airbus. The region’s carriers will require around 2,590 new aircraft by 2036.
Passenger traffic to and from the Middle East is forecast to grow 5.9 per cent until 2036, beating the world average of 4.4 per cent, according to Airbus projections. The region is forecast to experience the fastest growth rate in the world behind Africa, which is projected to grow by 5.9 per cent to 400 million passengers by 2036, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
New schools in Dubai
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
