Emirates (EK, Dubai International) would consider acquiring between 60 and 80 A380neo variants should Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) proceed with its development and launch airline president, Timothy Clark, has said.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Clark said: "We have made it crystal clear to (Airbus) in the event of the (A380) neo being launched we would buy it."
The Emirati carrier is currently the world's largest operator of the A380-800 with fifty in operational service with orders for an additional ninety.
Airbus Chief Commercial Officer - Customers, John Leahy, last week said the manufacturer would only make a definitive decision concerning a re-engined A380 next year. At present, he told Aviation Week, Airbus is conducting internal studies to determine its development costs offset against anticipated future demand for the existing Alliance GP7200 and Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered A380ceo.
As a result, and contrary to Emirates' hopes of a 2018 début, the first A380neo would likely only enter commercial service in 2020, Leahy added.
Airbus has a total of 324 orders for the A380-800 with airlines such as Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi), Emirates, Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith), Air France (AF, Paris CDG), Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International), Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon), China Southern Airlines (CZ, Guangzhou), Malaysia Airlines (MH, Kuala Lumpur International), Thai Airways International (TG, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi), British Airways (BA, London Heathrow), Asiana Airlines (OZ, Seoul Incheon), Skymark Airlines (BC, Tokyo Haneda), Transaero Airlines (Moscow Vnukovo), Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International), Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International), Air Austral (UU, St. Denis de la Réunion), and Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow).
