Emirates to have more A380s by end of 2015

Airline plans to have 68 super jumbos, up from 55 in 2014

Dubai: Emirates expects to have 68 Airbus A380s by the end of 2015, according to Thierry Antinori, the airline’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer.

By the end of the year, the airline is likely to have 55 A380s from the total order of 140.

Emirates aims to “develop more flights [with] A380s to the US” in the next three months, Antinori said.

“We just shifted from [Boeing] 777s to A380s in October to Dallas,” he said. Emirates will also make the shift for the San Francisco and Houston flights in December.

Last week, the airline announced a third non-stop flight between Dubai and New York with A380s from the end of March 2015.

Antinori also emphasised the airline’s interest in buying Airbus’s A380neos (‘new engine options’).

“If Airbus is investing the money to do that [making A380neos], because it will bring more efficiency [and] because Dubai will continue to grow, …we would buy more if Airbus is developing the neo version,” he said.

Asked how much growth Emirates expects over the next five years, Antinori declined to comment.

“We have the publication of our half-year results a little later this week,” he said.