Emirates (EK, Dubai International) plans to continue operating its fleet of A380-800s into the late 2030s or early 2040s, President Tim Clark told CNBC. The carrier signed various maintenance deals to "maintain and improve operational efficiency, as well as maximise fleet performance and reliability" of the type.
"Emirates will leverage, at scale, the expertise and capabilities of partners including Honeywell Aerospace, Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Lufthansa Technik, OEM Services, Gameco, Haeco, and others to optimise its A380 fleet's lifespan and unlock additional operational efficiency gains, all at its exacting standards," the airline said.
Contracts signed during the Dubai Airshow 2023 are reportedly worth over USD1.5 billion. They include base maintenance, spare parts supply, and C-Check contracts. The C-Checks will be performed by Lufthansa Technik at Manila Ninoy Aquino International airport, by Gameco at Guangzhou airport, and by Haeco at Xiamen airport.
The carrier operates 119 A380s, of which 92 are currently active. The others were parked during the COVID-19 pandemic, but are expected to be back into service by early 2024. Sixty-seven aircraft are slated for full cabin refurbishment with 16 so far been completed.
The airline plans to continue operating its double-deckers despite increasing orders for new-generation twinjet widebodies recently. Emirates bumped its B777X order book by 90 aircraft to 205 units, its B787 order book by five to 35, and its A350 order book by 15 aircraft to 65.
