Emirates orders two additional Airbus A380s for delivery in 2017

Dubai airline Emirates has placed an order for two additional superjumbo A380 aircraft from manufacturer Airbus, it announced on Wednesday.

The aircraft are slated for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2017.

The two new aircraft will be in a two-class configuration with Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines and feature Emirates’ signature amenities such as an onboard lounge for business class passengers and free wifi.

The order is estimated to be worth around $865m at list prices, according to Reuters calculations.

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said: “From now until the end of 2017, Emirates will retire 30 older aircraft from our fleet. At the same time, to meet our growth expectations, we will receive delivery of 24 new Boeing 777, and 33 new A380 aircraft including these two additional A380 aircraft just ordered.

“This is in line with our strategy to operate a modern and efficient fleet and offer the best possible experience for our customers.”

This airline is currently the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A380, with 75 in service and a further 65 on firm order.

The additional two aircraft will take Emirates’ total A380 order book to 142.

“We’ve always been open about how the A380 has been a big success for Emirates. It’s a boon for our operations to slot constrained airports and we get a lot of positive feedback from our customers,” said Clark.

“In fact, demand from customers for our A380 product is growing, as we expand our A380 network and more travellers have had the opportunity to experience it first-hand.”

Read: Emirates starts A380 service to Birmingham

Emirates, the first airline to order the double-decker aircraft, has flown over 50 million passengers on its A380s from the time operations commenced in 2008 up to January 2016.

The airline will also add A380 services to Prague, Vienna and Taipei later this year, increasing overall destinations served by the superjumbo aircraft to 42.