Article Posted on : - Jun 09, 2010

Airbus A380 in Emirates livery. Photo by Quentin Douchet.

BERLIN (BNS): Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, placed an order with Airbus for an additional 32 A380 aircraft, taking the total firm order for the iconic flagship of the 21st century to 90 super-jumbos.

The order for the additional aircraft has a list price of USD 11.5 billion.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Berlin Air Show by His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group and Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO, which was witnessed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other dignitaries.

"This latest order, adding to 58 A380s previously ordered, affirms Emirates’ strategy to become a world leading carrier and to further establish Dubai as a central gateway to worldwide air travel," said H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al- Maktoum, as quoted in the Emirates news release.

Emirates currently has 48 Airbus 380s, 70 Airbus 350s, 18 Boeing 777-300s and 7 Boeing air freighters on order totaling 143 wide-body aircraft worth more than USD 48 billion.