Qantas takes delivery of first A380 - likely to order another 20
22 Sep 2008
Australian flag carrier Qantas has said it would, very likely, add to its orders of the Airbus 380 superjumbo, of which it already has 20 on order. The airliner took delivery of its first A380 late last week.
Though the order was a virtual certainty, Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon clarified that any such order would be within the airline's current A$35 billion ($27.9 billion) budget for capital spending on aircraft. According to industry analysts, this suggests that the airline may swap aircraft orders in consultation with Airbus.
Qantas Group has 60 A320s/A321s on order for its low cost carrier Jetstar.
Both Dixon and his successor, Alan Joyce, were speaking on the occasion of the delivery of the first A380 unit to the airline at the manufacturer's Toulouse facility in France.
The carrier is due to receive two more A380s this year and another five next year.
Meanwhile, also speaking on the occasion, EADS CEO and president Tom Enders reiterated the promise that Airbus would meet its promise of delivering 12 A380s this year. EADS is Airbus's parent.
Qantas has received its first A380 two years behind schedule. The first commercial Qantas A380 flight will be a Melbourne-Los Angeles flight on 20 October.
