Drama in the Desert: How Airbus’s A380 Deal in Dubai Evaporated
- Gulf airline scrapped A380 deal with announcement minutes away
- Carrier’s chairman, uncle of Dubai’s ruler, made key decision
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At the handover of the 100th A380 superjumbo to Gulf carrier Emirates earlier this month in Hamburg, Airbus SE rolled out the red carpet to airline executives and Dubai royalty, who in turn winked and nodded that another multi-billion-dollar order for the double-decker was on the cards.
Ten days on, dignitaries were filing into a conference room at the Dubai Air show to witness the unveiling of a lifeline order for the slow-selling jet -- when the unimaginable happened.