Emirates mulls grounding its A380 fleet as virus spreads

Emirates is looking at grounding the bulk of its 115 Airbus superjumbos as the coronavirus undermines global travel demand, people familiar with the situation said. Emirates has already idled more than 20 A380s and is seeking to delay taking the last handful due for delivery. The company hasn’t made a decision on standing down the fleet, according to the people. Emirates, which also operates 155 Boeing 777 wide-bodies, has stopped serving about a quarter of its usual destinations, encouraged staff to take leave, and said March 12 that deeper cuts were under consideration. Emirates’ business model is focused on inter-continental routes, and while the spread of the virus is easing in parts of Asia, it’s accelerating in its European and North American markets. <br/>