The corona pandemic accelerated a trend that has been creeping up for some time: airlines are separating from aircraft that have more than two engines. The mostly still young Airbus A380s are hit particularly hard. Emirates boss Tim Clark wants to stick to the superjumbo until around 2035.
This golf carrier is the world's largest operator of this model and does not yet see a suitable successor model in sight. Emirates intends to increasingly rely on the Boeing 777-9 in the future, but the first delivery will be postponed at least to the year 2024.
During the CAPA conference, which was held virtually due to the corona pandemic, Clark said that the A380s at Emirates will still be in use until around 2035. The carrier is thus flying against the trend, because competitors such as Qatar Airways, Air France and Lufthansa are assuming that the super jumbos will no longer have a comeback in their fleets.
Tim Clark is convinced that there will be significant further developments on the part of manufacturers in the next few years. By 2035, even more efficient aircraft and, if necessary, alternative propulsion systems will be available. Until then, the A380 would be an excellent aircraft for Emirates' needs.