Ceremony Planned In Hamburg On July 28

Emirates, the largest customer for the A380 superjumbo, announced Thursday it will receive the first of its 58 A380 aircraft on order from Airbus' Hamburg facility on July 28.

The 58 A380s on Emirates' order book are worth US $18.8 billion at current list prices. Emirates' A380 interiors and onboard product, which has been kept under wraps thus far, will also be revealed for the first time during the delivery ceremony in Hamburg.

"The A380, with its large capacity and excellent operating economics, will be one of the pillars of Emirates' future growth," said Emirates Chairman and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. "We've been working very closely with Airbus since the A380 program's inception back in 2000, and all through the ups and downs from the drawing board to production, we have remained unshakable in our belief that this is the aircraft for the next chapter of aviation."

The airline previously announced plans to deploy its first A380 aircraft on its routes from Dubai to New York, London Heathrow and Sydney-Auckland; and will shortly announce details of its first commercial A380 service.

In the United States, Emirates currently operates two daily non-stop flights from New York's JFK, one daily non-stop flight from Houston, and will be launching non-stop service from Los Angeles on September 1, and from San Francisco on October 26th.

Powered by Engine Alliance's GP7200 engines, Emirates' A380s are capable of flying up to 9,320 miles on a full load, and offer fuel economy as low as 0.8 gallons per 100 passenger kilometer (62 passenger mile) -- which, the airline notes, is better than most hybrid passenger cars (1.1 gallons per 100 vehicle kilometer). A significant environmental development, the A380 is also quieter, both inside and outside of the cabin, which means more comfort for passengers and a smaller noise footprint.

"Despite the high oil prices, for us, demand remains strong and the A380's combination of range, capacity and fuel efficiency will help Emirates to continue achieving our growth targets," Al-Maktoum said. "We very much look forward to receiving our first A380 aircraft next month."

Emirates is slated to receive five A380s through March 2009, all featuring its ultra long-haul configuration of 489 seats: 14 in First Class, 76 in Business and 399 in Economy; with 11 tons of cargo capacity.

FMI: www.emirates.com