Emirates to exercise Airbus A380 options 'sooner rather than later'

Emirates will commit to purchasing options for 16 Airbus A380 jets from a previously announced $16b order that handed a lifeline to the slow-selling jet, the airline’s president said Wednesday. The Middle East airline placed a provisional order for 20 of the double-decker superjumbos in January, which it has since finalised, with an option for 16 more. “We will exercise them sooner rather than later,” Emirates President Tim Clark said. The January order secured the future for world’s biggest passenger jets for at least another decade, saving it from being scrapped. Emirates is the A380s biggest backer, ordering far more than any other customer and making it the flagship of a fleet that has helped transform Dubai into a major international air hub.<br/>