Reports Airbus on verge of signing £11 billion deal sell over 30 A380’s to Emirates

Reports say Airbus is close to signing a  deal worth at least £11 billion to sell over 30 of its A380 superjumbo’s to Dubai’s Emirates.

The deal would secure production of the A380 which has seen slow sales of late, until the middle of the next decade, writes news agency Reuters.

“If confirmed, is expected to be announced at the opening of the Dubai Airshow on Sunday,” they say.

Both Emirates and Airbus have declined to comment.

Rumours of a significant order for the A380 have been swirling for some time, last week Airbus CEO Tom Enders dropped hints of a possible deal.

Mr Enders was talking to the assembled media at a ceremony of Emirates’ 100th Airbus A380 at the Airbus HQ in Hamburg last Friday, November 3.

“I‘m not sure I will let John Leahy [Airbus sales chief] retire without at least one more significant A380 order,” Enders said, in reference to the departing sales chief of Airbus.

Slow sales of the A380 has led some industry ‘experts’ to call into question the future of the superjumbo but Enders said he believed Airbus would be producing the A380 10 years from now and was working on sales campaigns.

Emirates is the world’s biggest customer of the A380 and has ordered 142 of the jets with 100 delivered Airbus CEO Tom Enders said he hoped Airbus would deliver “at least” the remaining 42 to Emirates.

Emirates representatives said the carrier is in discussions for additional A380s on top of the outstanding 42 on order.

Airbus shares hit a record high last Tuesday after the planemaker posted stronger-than-expected third quarter earnings.