Emirates may hold off major Airbus purchase

Dubai Long-haul carrier Emirates signalled on Tuesday it will hold off on a major purchase of Airbus A350 aircraft over concerns about their Rolls Royce engines, marking a major blow for the European manufacturer as it hopes to close the sale during the Dubai Air Show this week. Emirates President Tim Clark’s comments to journalists at the show came the day after his airline announced a $52 billion purchase with Airbus’ rival Boeing Co., while its sister airline FlyDubai bought another $11 billion of aircraft from Boeing. Airbus has yet to strike a major deal at the show, which comes as global airlines like Emirates have bounced back from the lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic with increased global demand for travel.

In his comments to journalists at the Emirates chalet on the runway of Al Maktoum International Airport, Clark raised concerns about the maintenance required for the Rolls Royce engines on the A350. “If the engine was doing what we want it to do ... then it would re-enter the mix of assessment for our fleet plan,” Clark said. Airbus and Rolls Royce did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

Emirates is a heavyweight when it comes to East-West travel out of Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel. Clark also said that Emirates needs to buy aircraft now as it moves forward with plans to expand its routes and networks. “Irrespective of the difficulties of getting these aircraft out of the door, we have to place orders now because the lead time for deliveries are so long,” Clark said.

Clark also said that the tensions in the wider Middle East sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip wouldn’t affect Emirates’ business, adding they are used to working around the region’s geopolitical problems. He said although the Israeli market was one of the fastest growing markets for Emirates, they had to stop their daily flights to Tel Aviv, Israel, but that the airline was able to absorb the demand fall-off. Emirates and FlyDubai launched direct flights to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv after the two countries established diplomatic ties in 2020.

Two major Israeli firms — Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and Israel Aerospace Industries had been slated to participate in the Dubai Air Show.