Emirates is expected to bring more hope to the beleaguered airline and aerospace industries at Paris this week with yet another mega-deal. The value of the order is expected to top the record-breaking Emirates order of $15 billion announced at the Dubai airshow.
The Dubai-based carrier is expected to cover an additional 23 Airbus A380s, taking its planned fleet to 45, easily the biggest in the industry. It will also go for 10 A340-600s (with a similar number of options) and 26 Boeing 777-300ERs.
The A340-600s will be the launch order for the high gross weight (HGW) version.
The deal follows the $15 billion order for aircraft at the last Dubai show, which was followed in February at the Singapore airshow by Emirates' order for Airbus A380 engines.
Not to be outdone, Qatar Airways - the other super-ambitious, quality airline in the Gulf - is also expected to announce major new orders at Paris. Chief executive Akbar Al Baker revealed at last year's Farnborough show that his airline was studying the acquisition of additional new aircraft.
The airline has been in talks with both Boeing and Airbus with a view to acquiring "significant numbers" of widebody aircraft and hoped to conclude a deal in time for Paris. The industry will be watching closely to see if Qatar Airways - which currently only operates Airbus aircraft - sticks to its sole supplier policy or orders Boeings.
For Emirates, now the envy of most airlines in the world, the expected order announcement comes on the back of its recent record annual results. The Group recorded profit of more than AED1 billion ($280 million) and growth of 31%.
Airbus chief commercial officer John Leahy said before the show that he expects to announce new orders for the A380 beyond the 103 firm orders currently on the books. "We hope to announce new orders this year, maybe at the Paris airshow."
The doubling of its planned fleet of 555-seat A380s will give Emirates the long-term capacity to help meet Dubai's ambitious plans of attracting 10 million tourists a year by 2010.
The A340-600 HGW will have a maximum take-off weight of 376,000kg (828,200lbs).
One intriguing element of the Emirates order for additional A380s is the fresh competition expected for the engines to power it. At Singapore last year, the airline opted for the GE/Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance GP7200 over the Rolls-Royce Trent 900.
Source: Flight Daily News
