by Donald Wood
Last updated: 4:20 PM ET, Thu January 18, 2018
Just a few days after Airbus officials said they could be forced to cut the A380 superjumbo plane program, the company announced a change of plans.
According to Reuters.com, Airbus announced Thursday a new $16 billion deal with Emirates placed a provisional order for 20 of the A380 planes, with an option for 16 more in the future. The aircraft manufacturer expects deliveries to start in 2020.
The deal concludes months of intense negotiations between Airbus and Emirates. Talks initially broke down at the Dubai Airshow in November, but they heated back up after Airbus announced Monday the survival of the A380 program depended on the Emirates order.
"The A380 is good to go," Emirates president Tim Clark told Reuters.
The new deal is being considered a victory for veteran Airbus sales chief John Leahy, who will be retiring from the company next week after more than 20 years as one of the company's main figureheads.
"Emirates is committing to the program for the long term and plans to take six airplanes a year for 9-10 years," Leahy told Reuters.
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