Emirates backs A380 superjumbos to fly into the 2040s 

Emirates has signalled a commitment to continue flying double decker Airbus A380s into the 2040s.

The Gulf carrier is the largest operator of the world’s largest commercial aircraft with a 116-strong fleet.

The airline secured an agreement with Rolls Royce to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for Trent 900 engines powering the A380 fleet from 2027. 

Emirates also extended a service agreement with Rolls-Royce for the A380s into the 2040s.

Emirates will build a new engine maintenance facility in Dubai in conjunction with Rolls Royce’s global repair network

Emirates’ head of engineering and MRO Ahmed Safa said: “With Emirates’ plans to continue operating our Airbus A380 fleet into the 2040s, we wanted to secure our own engine maintenance capabilities. 

“We are pleased to sign this agreement with Rolls-Royce which takes our partnership further. 

“We will be working closely with their team to bring the latest engine MRO capabilities into our facilities as part of our expansion of Emirates’ Engineering Maintenance Centre. 

“This is yet another value-added contribution to Dubai’s growing aerospace sector capabilities.”

Rolls Royce director - commercial aviation aftermarket operations, Paul Keenan, added: “Today’s announcement marks another milestone in our journey to significantly increase our global MRO capacity and capability by 2030. 

“Our global network combines a strong mix of Rolls-Royce owned facilities, joint ventures and strategic collaborations with industry partners. We are delighted to welcome Emirates to that mix ahead of the new facility opening in 2027.

“The agreement will allow for additional capacity in the entire Rolls-Royce network and further reinforces our commitment to deliver both excellent products and services to our global customer base.”