Logistics centre opened in Dubai

Dubai: Airbus expects further orders for the A380 from Emirates, the biggest buyer of the supersize aircraft.

Emirates has ordered 58 A380s and is scheduled to get the first of these jets in August.

"I think they will eventually buy more of them," Airbus chief operating officer John Leahy told Gulf News, and added that "their biggest problem right now is where to park them."

He said Airbus expects to sell 20 to 30 A380s worldwide each year. It has firm orders for about 200 planes. Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are among the customers.

"There is a lot of demand for the A380 in Asia in particular, and in the Middle East," Leahy said.

However, Airbus does not expect any new Emirates order this year.

The planned Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport will be entirely dedicated to the Emirates A380 fleet. The airline is scheduled to take delivery of four A380s this year.

Airbus is carrying out a review of its delivery targets for the A380, chief executive Thomas Enders told reporters.

It plans to deliver 13 A380s this year and 25 next year.

"This is the plan. We are conducting a review right now, [it] might well be that we achieve it. Again, we always said it is a difficult subject," he said when asked if the company was on track to achieve the targets.

"The industry has multiple supplier problems and stuff like that needs to be taken into consideration," Enders said.

The European firm is trying to cut its production costs amid the euro's rise against the dollar.

Enders said Airbus wants to offshore "major parts of the work in manufacturing and engineering because cost is a very serious problem for us."