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Emirates is negotiating a deal to purchase about 36 additional Airbus
SE A380 super-jumbos, according to people familiar with the talks, a
move that would help extend the embattled program’s life.
Executives are working to seal an accord with the goal of making a
formal announcement on Nov. 12 when the biennial Dubai Air Show kicks
off, said the people, asking not to be named as the discussions are
confidential. An order for that number would be valued at $15.7 billion
at current list prices, though the tally could change as talks enter the
final stage.
Airbus has been working to secure a follow-on order for the
four-engine model from Emirates, which would add another 4 1/2years to
its backlog, after the plane-maker was forced to cut production of the
aircraft to just eight a month next year from 25 in 2016 amid slack
demand.
Outgoing sales chief John Leahy, who is looking to Emirates for a
last triumph before handing over the reins to a successor early next
year, is renowned for getting orders signed in the final moments ahead
of an air show.
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An agreement with Emirates would allow Airbus to continue marketing
the plane, pursuing a series of smaller deals that wouldn’t otherwise
have been viable without the new commitment from its biggest customer
for the double-decker model. Representatives for Toulouse, France-based
Airbus and Emirates, which is based in Dubai, declined to comment.
The planemaker in June unveiled an upgrade to the A380, dubbed the
“plus” that adds wingtips and a more condensed cabin layout to improve
the fuel efficiency of the aircraft. Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom
Enders restated the company’s commitment to the plane in Hamburg this
month when Emirates took its 100th jet of a total 142 on order.
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Emirates already represents the only major customer for the
double-decker, which has 317 net orders in total. Most other customers,
such as British Airways to Lufthansa to Air France, have made the plane
only a sub-category of their fleets or even cut back their original
commitments.
Reuters earlier reported that talks were centering around a deal for between 36 and 38 planes, citing a person familiar.
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Source - TheJakartaPost
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