Emirates Airlines has announced that it intends to continue operating its Airbus A380 fleet until at least 2041, extending the useful life of these aircraft beyond what was previously planned. CEO Sir Tim Clark stated in an interview that the main reason for this was that there was no alternative available of a similar size in the market.

Airbus stopped producing the A380 two years ago, and Boeing also stopped production of the 747. Currently, the largest aircraft on the market are the twin-engine Boeing 777X (still in the certification phase) and the Airbus A350-1000, but, in terms of capacity, it is Unable to replace the A380.

However, the Emirates CEO regrets that he was unable to convince Airbus to develop an updated version of the A380, known as the A380neo, which would be more economical, partly due to new engines. Due to the lack of interest from other airlines, Airbus chose to end production of the A380.

Despite this, Emirates, the world’s largest A380 operator, continues to expand its fleet with other aircraft. A new order is expected to be announced at the Dubai Air Show. The CEO also stated that negotiations are ongoing.