Emirates airlines considers canceling huge Airbus order

Emirates airlines said Thursday that its order of 45 Airbus A380 jumbo jets was "up in the air," after reports that deliveries of the plane could be delayed.

Photo: Emirates airlines considers canceling huge Airbus order

Spokeswoman Valerie Tan said officials at the Dubai-based airline were discussing whether to go forward with the order.

"Things are up in the air right now. It's hard for us to say. We had such a big order," Tan said by telephone Thursday. "We haven't really been officially informed (of the possible delay). There's no letter yet. There's no official discussions."

Earlier Thursday, Emirates airlines released a statement saying it had not yet had discussions with Airbus on a new delivery schedule and had no plans to withdraw its long-standing order, reports AP.

European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co., the parent company of Airbus, said Thursday that it expects further delays in its troubled Airbus A380 program.

The 555-seat airplane has a list price of US$300 million, valuing Emirates' order at roughly US$13.5 billion.