Rumor Mill Active: Emirates May Cancel A380 Order

There are news reports this morning that Emirates may cancel their order for 45 Airbus A380s. Should this prove true, it might well spell the end of the program.

Here's what the AP wire report said in part:

Emirates airlines said Thursday that its order of 45 Airbus A380 jumbo jets was "up in the air," after the manufacturer announced deliveries of the plane would be delayed.
Spokeswoman Valerie Tan said officials at the Dubai-based airline were discussing whether to go forward with the order.


http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/21/africa/ME_FIN_Emirates_Airbus.php

UPDATE: Emirates spokesperson Boutros Boutros says it ain't so. I wonder how much money this dog and pony show cost the Festung?

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-09-21T130044Z_01_L21933815_RTRIDST_0_AIRLINES-EMIRATES-URGENT.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna

UPDATE 2: Valerie Tan, formerly spokeswoman for Emirates is seeking other employment. All correspondence may be addressed to Valerie Tan, under the University Avenue bridge, in the Maytag refrigerator box.

UPDATE 3: We're not the only ones who are starting to think the project is a bad idea writ large. Bernama is reporting that the Malaysia Airlines Employee's Union is urging MAS to cancel its order for six A380s as a cost saving measure. I don't know about you but when the worker bees start saying a big project is a bad idea, it is a bad one indeed.

My friend Addison Schonland seems to take the counterintuitive spin and suggests in the IAG blog that the recently announced further program delays may actually be a good thing for the gulf airlines that are signed up. I am not nearly as sanguine because I think that with da Festung, where there's this much smoke, there is the distinct odor of decomposition coming from the A380 project.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=221419