Emirates placed a massive $12 billion order with Airbus for 41 aircraft at the Paris Air Show on 16 June 2003. The order marked the single largest order in civil aviation history and included two A340-500s, 18 A340-600s and 21 A380s. In addition, Emirates will lease two A340-600s and two A380s from ILFC.
Adding to six previously ordered A340-500s and 22 A380s – including two A380 Freighters – the new order makes Emirates the largest customer for the A340-500/600, and puts it even further ahead on the A380.
Deliveries of the newly ordered A340-500s begin at the end of 2004, those of the A340-600s in June 2007, followed by the A380s in spring 2009. The A340-500s and –600s will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 500s while the A380 engines have yet to be announced.
The A340-500s will be used to initially to open new non-stop routes from Dubai to Australia and the U.S. East Coast. They will be replaced gradually on these routes by the A340-600s, while the A340-500s are then used to open even longer routes. The A380s will be used on Emirates’ busiest routes to Europe and Asia until eventually most of its network is served by this new flagship-aircraft.
This was off the Airbus website: not only are they coming to Australia they are also going to USA east coast!!!
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