Emirates president Tim Clark has confirmed that the UAE-based airline is eyeing options to replace outgoing Airbus A380s, which the company is set to phase out from the early 2030s.
Airbus Group (EPA:AIR)-built A350s, exclusively powered by Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.) Trent XWB engines, are in the running, according to Clark.
The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA)’s 777X and 787 Dreamliner are other potential options, Clark hinted, with the bulk order likely to be for between 100 and 150 new wide-body aircraft.
“There is a huge demand,” Clark said, “we are looking at plans to take us through the 2030s”.
“We’ve also got a lot of expansion plans driving the fleet on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Rolls-Royce already powers Emirates-operated A330neo, A350 and A380 jets, securing payments based on the number of flying hours racked up by its engines.
Emirates meanwhile has enjoyed a strong year amid the aviation sector’s post-Covid recovery, scoring a record-breaking US$2.9bn profit during 2023.
The UAE flagship carrier currently operates 260 aircraft and is waiting on orders for over 200 Boeing and Airbus-built jets, ahead of plans to phase out the double-decker A380 by 2033.
Boeing 787’s can be powered by either Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 or rival General Electric (NYSE:GE) GE GEnx-1B engines, while the 777X exclusively runs on the GE9X.