Emirates airline receives its first Rolls-Royce powered A380 superjumbo

  • Emirates A380 first class. Take a look at the airline's luxurious first-class seats on its superjumbos.  Photo: Supplied
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  • There are two shower spas at the front of the Emirates A380 for first class passengers only. Photo: Reuters
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  • Dinner is served in first class. Photo: Getty Images
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  • On board the first class section on Emirates A380. Photo: Alexander Hassenstein
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  • Onboard the lounge of Emirates Airbus A380. Photo: Getty Images
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  • The suites have massage-enabled leather seats that convert to flat beds, a personal wardrobe, built-in vanity table with mirror, pop-up mini bar, a drawer with stationery, fresh flowers and electronic sliding doors. Photo: Reuters
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  • The bed on an Emirates first class seat. Photo: Getty Images
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  • An Emirates first-class suite. 
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  • 58-centimetre LCD screen with 600 entertainment channels, including 50 new-release movies, 25 movie classics, 25 children's films, 40 interactive games, satellite telephone, SMS and email. Photo: AFP
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  • Emirates first class: Service is excellent, discreet and nothing is too much trouble. Photo: Reuters
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  • A first class seat lined with gold. Photo: Getty Images
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Emirates, the world's biggest long-haul airline, has taken delivery of its first Rolls-Royce engine-powered Airbus A380 superjumbo and has resolved its dispute with the engine maker over a technical issue.

The A380 jet arrived in Dubai on Thursday morning, two days after Airbus said it would delay the delivery of 12 A380s to the airline over the next two years.

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An Emirates spokeswoman said the Rolls-Royce engine jet had arrived, but declined to say when it would be deployed for passenger services. Typically, airlines will test new aircraft before they enter into service.

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Jetpack pilots fly in formation with A380

Two jetpack pilots have performed a risky manoeuvre flying in formation with an Emirates A380 superjumbo over Dubai. Video: Emirates

The three-class configured jet was originally scheduled for delivery on December 2. Emirates also operates two-class, business and economy A380s.

The airline "has come to an agreement with Rolls-Royce on the technical issue relating to engines for our A380s," a different spokeswoman said, adding two more Rolls-Royce powered A380s would be delivered before the end of 2017.

Planemaker Airbus said on Tuesday it had delayed deliveries to Emirates of six A380s in 2017 and six in 2018 following agreements between Emirates and Rolls-Royce as well as Emirates and Airbus.

Emirates President Tim Clark said on November 18 the airline had some technical issues with the Rolls-Royce engines.

Rolls-Royce is to supply engines for 50 Emirates A380 jets. The $US9.2 billion deal, announced in April 2015, was the largest order in the history of the British company.

Emirates is the biggest operator of the A380 having ordered 142 of the superjumbo jets. The rest of its A380 fleet uses Engine Alliance, a joint venture of General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. 

Airbus scaled back its annual production schedule for the A380 in July after failing to secure new orders this year, and it outlined a round of spending reductions aimed at matching revenue and costs for the model in 2017 with 20 scheduled deliveries. The program broke even in 2015 at 27 deliveries. 

The delays of A380 deliveries to Emirates cap a tough year for Airbus's flagship model. Most recently, an order for the A380 from Iran didn't materialise when that country announced purchases from Airbus in mid-December. US competitor Boeing is also having trouble selling its competing 747-8 jumbo jet.

See: Goodbye, jumbo? Boeing may stop making iconic 747 jet

In November, Emirates President Tim Clark revealed that feedback on the powerplants indicated "technical issues" that needed to be resolved before the first plane would be handed over. Clark said the engines required a "higher intervention rate" than expected for maintenance, in part due to unanticipated levels of wear to fan blades stemming from their deployment in Dubai's desert climate. Rolls-Royce will take the full financial brunt of the extra costs, he said in December.

A spokesman for the London-based engine maker said Rolls-Royce will "continue to work with Airbus and Emirates to meet their requirements."

Reuters/Bloomberg

See also: Emirates will now only fly superjumbos, 777s on all routes

See also: Airline review: Emirates A380 business class

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