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UAE-EMIRATES-AVIATION-AIRBUS LEAD
Emirates announces $16 billion deal to buy 50 Airbus 350
DUBAI, Nov 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Emirates Airline said Monday it would buy
50 Airbus 350-900 wide body aircraft in a deal worth $16 billion, with
delivery to begin in May 2023.
“I am happy to announce we are purchasing 50 Airbus 350 for $16 billion,”
the carrier’s chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum told
reporters at the Dubai Airshow.
Emirates serves a global network spanning over 158 destinations in 84
countries. Its fleet stands at 267 large aircraft, including more than 100
Airbus 380 superjumbos.
Its move earlier this year to reduce its total A380 orders triggered
Airbus to pull the plug on the costly plane, which airlines have struggled to
fill to its capacity of 500-850 people.
At the time, Airbus said it would buy smaller A330 and A350 models
instead.
“It is very good news for Airbus,” the European aerospace giant’s CEO
Guillaume Faure said of the announcement in Dubai, adding he was “very proud
that Airbus 350 has been selected by Emirates”.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1617 hrs