Emirates sees 2022 return of jumbo A380s as travel recovers

Emirates sees 2022 return of jumbo A380s as travel recovers

Emirates sees a sharp recovery in demand for air travel next year as coronavirus vaccines are distributed around the world, meaning the carrier's full fleet of jumbo Airbus SE A380 jets could return to the skies by early 2022.

Progress on the production and transportation of inoculations should be evident by the second quarter of next year, President Tim Clark said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. That will lead to a release in pent-up demand "across all segments“ led by those who have had to shelve travel plans during the pandemic, he said.

"I can see demand for travel moving at pace,“ Clark said. "My own view, and it's always an optimistic view, is by end of next calendar year or the first quarter of 2022 we'll have all our A380s flying.“

The show of confidence from the veteran airline executive contrasts with a deteriorating outlook for airlines facing the worse crisis the industry has ever suffered. Bankruptcies are happening at a record pace, while the industry's chief lobby on Tuesday estimated carriers will lose $157bn this year and next because of the pandemic's devastating impact on travel.

Emirates, the world's biggest long-haul carrier, has seen demand all but dry