The head of Emirates Airline has reacted angrily to a suggestion by Airbus that it might stop making its A380 superjumbo airliner, saying it could double its investment if the plane maker agreed to upgrade the A380 instead.
Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said he had protested to Airbus after its finance director aired the possibility of ending production of the flagship jet due to poor sales.
“I am not particularly happy as you can imagine,” Mr Clark said. “We are on the hook for this plane. I get pretty miffed when we have put so much at stake.”
Harald Wilhelm told analysts on Wednesday that Airbus would break even on the A380 through 2018, “if we would do something on the product, or even if we would discontinue the product”. The unusually frank remark reflected an internal debate over the future of the world’s largest airliner but was also the first time Airbus had publicly contemplated winding down the project — one of several possible scenarios.
Others include slowing production or investing together with Rolls-Royce in an updated engine, which Mr Clark said would improve fuel efficiency by 12 to 15 per cent from 2020.
Mr Clark said that if the two companies went ahead with the upgrade Emirates would eventually replace all the 140 superjumbos it has ordered with the newly upgraded version.
But he suggested Emirates would hold Airbus to delivering the A380s it has sold if it decides to halt the programme.
Airbus would in that case probably ask Emirates to forego some of its future deliveries, he said, adding, “That is not a conversation I would like to have”.
Mr Clark said he was worried about the effect Airbus’s sombre message might have on future A380 purchases by other airlines, as well as the supply chain and the European aerospace industry, which has been a darling of politicians after creating many jobs.
He also said the stance would not help the future second-hand value of A380 aircraft.
Airbus immediately sought to defuse the row.
“The entire Airbus top management continues to believe strongly in the market prospects of the A380, but any investment by Airbus requires a sound business case, which we will continue to study,” said Rainer Ohler, the head of corporate communications.
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