Emirates will receive three more A380 aircraft from Airbus this year with its last unit on order scheduled to join its fleet in November, bringing forward the original delivery timeline from June next year.
With Airbus currently winding down production of the superjumbo, the planes are expected to be the latest commercial deliveries of the A380.
These planes will bring Emirates’ total fleet of A380s to 118 units in November, including six aircraft equipped with premium economy seats in a four-class configuration.
Tim Clark, president Emirates Airline, said: “We have come to an agreement with Airbus to bring forward the delivery of our remaining A380 orders and have secured financing for these units.
“These new aircraft will also add more highly sought-after premium economy seats into our inventory, as we prepare to fully launch this cabin product in the coming months.”
He added: “Emirates will continue to be the largest operator of this spacious and modern aircraft for the next two decades, and we are committed to ensuring that the Emirates A380 experience remains a customer favourite with ongoing investments to enhance our product and services.”
As travel restrictions ease with the global roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines, come October, Emirates will have reinstated its A380 operations on over a dozen popular routes from Dubai.
These include trips to Amman, Cairo, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Manchester, Mauritius, Moscow, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Toronto, Vienna, Washington DC and Zurich.
Emirates’ four-class A380s are currently operating on its London Heathrow and Paris Charles De Gaulle routes.