Emirates does well out of its A380s because they move volume through the Dubai hub in a way few other airlines are set up to do. The configuration of their fleet has the widest range of seating choices from the super expensive suites to the basic economy, yet with a certain cache at even the lowest prices and certainly offering more comfort in economy than on a single deck wide body. Taking pax from other carriers' direct services by competitive pricing over Dubai fills the cheap seats, offers a massive influx of shoppers to Dubai Airport's duty free shops and puts the airline in the top rankings in a region where being top dog carries weight.
Emirates on its own has the clout to push Airbus into either continuing the A380 as is or improving the breed and as slot constraints grow not only on runways but in airspace, Airbus would be foolish to kill the project as other carriers may have to follow suit, sooner rather than later.
Last edited by philbky; 11th Jul 2016 at 05:07.