Emirates celebrated the milestone delivery of its 100th Airbus A380 aircraft at a special ceremony with Airbus at the manufacturer’s delivery centre in Hamburg.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates’ chairman and chief executive, officiated the ceremony. He was joined at the event by Sir Tim Clark, president Emirates Airline, Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive officer, Dominic Horwood, Rolls-Royce director, customer and services, Ali Al Ahmed, UAE ambassador to Germany, and Frank Horch, senator for economy, transport and innovation of Hamburg.
Sheikh Ahmed said: “This is a tremendous moment for Emirates, for Airbus and for our many partners involved in the A380 programme. The A380 has had a big positive impact on aerospace manufacturing and the broader aviation industry, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and stimulating innovation and new product development in many related areas such as ground handling, catering, airport facilities and cabin products, to name a few.
“Importantly, the A380 also brought the flying experience for our customers to the next level. The aircraft itself is a showpiece of engineering. It is the world’s largest commercial passenger jet but it is quiet and efficient and at Emirates we’ve utilised the onboard real estate to redefine the thinking around inflight products and experience. Our flight crew love to fly it and our customers love to fly in it.
“For Emirates, the A380 has been a success. We’ve been able to utilise it at slot-constrained airports, as well as at regional and ‘secondary’ airports where we have grown passenger demand. Each time we deploy an A380 on to a route, it typically stimulates further traffic and demand as travellers are attracted by our flagship A380 experience.
“We remain committed to the programme and will work closely with Airbus and our partners to continually enhance our A380 product as we look ahead to receiving our remaining 42 aircraft on order.”
Enders added: “We are extremely proud of our long-standing relationship with Emirates – a partnership that has been integral to the A380 programme. It is a source of immense satisfaction for everyone at Airbus that such a visionary airline has believed in the A380 from the beginning and chosen it as its flagship and the backbone of its operations.”
Horwood said: “We would like to congratulate Emirates on this momentous occasion. We are very proud to be powering their 100th Airbus A380 and look forward to building on our strong relationship in years to come.”
Powered by Rolls-Royce engines, Emirates’ 100th A380 is configured in three cabin classes, with 14 private suites in first class, 76 seats in business and 426 seats in economy. It also features the airline’s newly-revamped onboard lounge.
It will be on display at the upcoming Dubai Air Show and will enter service afterwards.