Emirates faces dilemma over giant jets in shrunken travel market

A year ago Emirates thought it had resolved its A380 problem by cutting back its final batch on order. Now the coronavirus has presented the Dubai-based carrier with a fresh headache around the superjumbo. With travel demand set to be subdued for years to come, the mammoth jet built by Airbus risks becoming a white elephant in a world where reduced demand for long-haul flights favours more modestly sized wide-bodies. Emirates will respond by retiring a chunk of its A380 fleet, people with knowledge of the plan have said. But with the Gulf airline alone in building its business around a double-decker model that won precious few orders elsewhere, options for offloading the planes are limited. Story looks at the choices facing the world’s biggest long-haul carrier.<br/>