Emirates Airways, always the biggest believer in the super-jumbo A380 and now almost its last admirer, has just taken delivery on the first of a batch of three new ones, with three more to come next year as production shuts down.
Emirates, with 118 of the planes in its fleet, has operated nearly half of all the world's A380s, with nearly a hundred more than its nearest rival. Although the airline has a retirement plan in place as the planes age, it expects them to be in its fleet through the mid 2030s, even as it builds up a new inventory of A350s, Boeing 777x and 787 planes.
The new A380s come with interior upgrades that likely won't be applied to too many of the older fleet. They include an updated economy class, seen above, with new ergonomically-designed seats and a new premium economy with upgraded seats and amenities. Business class also gets a refresh.
Unspoken, but lurking in the background: With nearly all other airlines taking the A380 out of their fleets because it's too big and too fuel-consuming for their markets, will Emirates be able to make a go with all of its A380s?
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