State-owned Emirates airline said on Thursday it expected to take delivery of its first Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft by July 28.
Emirates, the largest A380 customer, with 58 orders worth $18.8 billion, expects to receive five of the world's biggest airliner by the end of March 2009, it said in a statement.
The airline will use its first A380 on routes from Dubai to New York, London Heathrow and Sydney-Auckland, it said.
Singapore became the first airline to operate the A380 when it entered service last October following an 18-month delay due to production problems. It has since received four.
Airbus said in May it would deliver a total of 12 A380s instead of 13 this year and 21 instead of 25 in 2009. The ability to stick to this schedule is a key factor driving the shares of parent EADS. - Reuters
