Airbus has managed to get over the line the consolation order for 15 A350-900s with Emirates, with many noting that no -1000s are part of the agreement.
This order was very much in the air over the course of this week, following the words from Sir Tim Clark over the engines that power the -1000 variant of the aircraft.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
15 More Airbus A350s for Emirates…
Commenting on this top up order was HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates airline and Group:
“The A350-900s will add to our fleet mix and we are pleased to announce additional orders for this aircraft type.”
“We plan to deploy our A350s to serve a range of new markets including long-haul missions of up to 15 hours flying time from Dubai”.
“We will work closely with Airbus and Rolls-Royce to ensure our aircraft deliver the best possible operating efficiency and flying experience for our customers.”
“Emirates’ orders this week are all carefully planned to support our future growth and the Dubai economic vision set out by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
“The Emirates experience is often the first visitor experience of Dubai – and we want it to be the best.”
Adding to this was Airbus sales chief, Christian Scherer:
“With this agreement we mark another solid step forward in the long standing relationship agreement between Emirates and Airbus.”
“A relationship founded on a pursuit of innovation, efficiency and operational excellence. Just as the A380 established itself at the heart of Emirates operations, we are equally proud of what the A350 will do in the years to come.”
Al Maktoum’s Words Are Interesting: Here’s Why…
HH Al Maktoum’s words are interesting regarding the Emirates A350 order, particularly when it comes to working together with Rolls Royce over the Trent XWB.
This backs up the words of the airline’s president, Sir Tim Clark, who stated that the XWB-97 engines, which power the -1000, are “defective”.
Rolls Royce have since responded, accepting certain problems with durability, but have committed to continue to rectify such issues, with the XWB family maintaining a strong cycle of reliability.
Such issues with the Rolls Royce engines from the Emirates point of view on the A350 could have resulted in today’s announcement consisting of just 15 jets, instead of a potential for 35.
An article from Air Data News stated that Airbus had accidentally released art featuring both the A350-900 and the -1000, with an order for 15 of the -900 and 20 of the -1000.
However, with today’s order, it remains clear that last night’s negotiations couldn’t extend as far as purchases for the -1000.
Conclusion of The Airline’s Time at the Dubai Airshow?
This order does look likely to be the final order announcement by Emirates at the Dubai Airshow, with the carrier mentioning a staggering $58bn has been spent on 110 new aircraft.
For Airbus, despite no -1000 orders, this is a big win for them, especially following the landmark deal made with Boeing for 90 777Xs and five more 787 Dreamliners.
Looking ahead, the next priority for the manufacturer will be to address the issues raised by the airline with Rolls Royce, in the hopes that going into the future, that order for 20 -1000s will be made.
But for now, the European planemaker can walk away from proceedings now, knowing that they have at least stemmed the damage for now, but more will be needed going into the future.
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