Emirates has upped its order with Airbus for an additional 32 A380 aircraft taking the total firm order for the iconic super-jumbo to 90 aircraft. The order for the additional aircraft has a list price of US$ 11.5 billion. “This latest order, adding to 58 A380s previously ordered, affirms Emirates’ strategy to become a world leading carrier and to further establish Dubai as a central gateway to worldwide air travel,” said H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. “Our latest commitment signals Emirates’ confidence in the growth to come in a thriving aviation sector as we build our fleet for tomorrow,” he added.

Emirates, the second largest airline in the world in available seat kilometres, is on track to become one of the largest airlines in the world. In addition to the orders placed today, Emirates has 48 Airbus 380s, 70 Airbus 350s, 18 Boeing 777-300s and 7 Boeing freighters on order totaling 143 wide-body aircraft worth more than US$ 48 billion. In a year where the aviation industry was rocked by the economic downturn, Emirates Airline recently reported its 22nd year of profit, up 416 per cent to close at US$ 964 million over its 2008-09 profits of US$187 million.