KEY POINTS:
Emirates Airline, the largest customer for the Airbus A380, today announced it will receive the first of the 58 superjumbos it has on order from Airbus' Hamburg facility on July 28.
The Emirates' A380 order book is worth US$18.8 billion at current list prices.
Emirates' A380 interiors and onboard product, which has been kept under wraps thus far, will also be revealed for the first time during the delivery ceremony in Hamburg.
Emirates boss HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said his belief remained "unshakable" that the A380 is the aircraft for the next chapter of aviation.
"Despite the high oil prices, for us demand remains strong and the A380's combination of range, capacity and fuel efficiency will help Emirates to continue achieving our growth targets," said Sheikh Ahmed.
Emirates has already announced plans to deploy its first A380 aircraft on its routes from Dubai to New York, London Heathrow, Sydney and Auckland.
In its current financial year (ending March 2009), Emirates will receive delivery of five A380s, all featuring its ultra long-haul configuration of 489 seats: 14 in First Class, 76 in Business and 399 in Economy; with 10 tonnes of bellyhold capacity for cargo.
Emirates flies four times daily from New Zealand to Dubai and beyond, via Australia.
