By DAVID CHURCHILL


He added: “The owners [of Emirates]


will not sanction any further acquisitions unless they know the line is going to be continued and they have a full understand- ing of what would happen if there was a cancellation.” Emirates, it is clear, does not want to be left stranded if the production plug is pulled.


FUTURE OF THE B747 While the A380’s future seemingly rests on how Airbus manages its relationship with its biggest customer, the outlook for the much-admired Boeing 747 is cloudier. Two of America’s leading legacy carriers – United Airlines and Delta Air Lines – have both recently stopped flying their B747s (400 series) after three decades during which the jumbo ruled the long-haul air routes. United’s final B747 passenger flight


was last November, when it flew from San Francisco to Honolulu in homage to the aircraft’s debut on the route way back in the summer of 1970. On the last service, flight attendants wore ‘retro’ uniforms of the period and the in-flight menu was 1970s-inspired. United’s president Scott Kirby told the airline’s employees that it was a “bitter- sweet milestone – the jumbo jet with its unmistakable silhouette once represented the state-of-the-art in air travel.” But in modern aviation, he added, “there are more fuel-efficient, cost-effective and reliable widebody aircraft that provide an updated in-flight experience on long-haul flights.” Delta became one of the launch airlines


for the jumbo, taking delivery of its first 747 in 1970 and starting US services in 1971. But it never really fully embraced the giant plane, especially as it reportedly found difficulties filling the aircraft’s 370-seat configuration on domestic flights. By 1974, it decided to sell its five 747s, and focus instead on the smaller Lockheed L-1011 TriStar with 298 seats. Yet when in late 2008 it took over


operates the largest fleet of the superjum- bos with 100 aircraft in service (the 100th A380 was delivered last November) and 46 on order – may be having its doubts. It had been widely expected to announce another deal at the recent Dubai Air Show to buy a further tranche of A380s but, instead, ordered 40 of Boeing’s latest version (10)


BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM


of its successful mid-sized Dreamliner 787 aircraft for just over US$15 billion. Sir Tim Clark, Emirates’ president, sug-


gested that the rival Airbus A350 had been considered but rejected. Clark made clear that new A380 orders depended on Airbus committing to maintain production for “the next ten to 15 years, which is vital to us”.


Northwest Airlines, it also acquired its fleet of 747-400 jumbos and continued to fly them, eventually ‘warming’ to the iconic aircraft. After the final commercial flight from South Korea’s Seoul Incheon airport to Detroit in December, for example, it took the aircraft on a ‘farewell tour’ around the US for employees, both current and former, along with leading US sports teams. Members of its frequent flyer SkyMiles programme were also able to bid (with their loyalty points) for a chance to join these flights. Delta says its last 747 will be


BBT January/February 2018 41


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