Airbus will be absolutely desperate to try and keep EK inside their front door.
Emirates is well known for screwing the last cent out of every dollar - they have no real interest in the A380 as a "nice" aircraft. It's only there to generate a profit.
Behind the scenes, I would imagine that Airbus is offering A340 600's at COMPLETELY knock down prices (and probably with Airbus wearing all the maintenance) to try and save the situation. This will suit EK down to the ground - they will end up with an interim aircraft that costs them a lot lot less than what the 380's would have done.
EK is laughing all the way to the bank, whichever way it goes.
