Airbus delivers first A380 to Emirates

Airbus has said that it has delivered the first A380 superjumbo to Dubai's Emirates airline, equipped with a Rolls Royce-made engine.

"The first A380 with a Rolls Royce engine has been delivered to Emirates Airline," a spokesman for the aerospace giant said yesterday.

In April 2015, Airbus selected Rolls Royce for the lucrative deal to provide the engines for 50 of its A380s that was worth a record at the time of USD 9.2 billion (8.8 billion euros).

The first delivery came a day after Airbus said it was postponing for a year the planned delivery of 12 A380 jets.

The delay was linked to the airline's wish to purchase the finest Rolls Royce engines, an informed source said.

"We continue to work closely with Airbus and Emirates Airline to satisfy their requests," a Rolls Royce spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.

Emirates, the biggest client for superjumbos, took delivery of its A380 in November and has ordered 142 in total.

A380s with the Rolls Royce motor are already being operated by other airlines such as Qantas and Singapore Airlines.