The long-awaited first Airbus A380 was unveiled to the media in Hamburg.
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00:00A day of celebration for both Hamburg and Dubai.
00:09Emirates first A380 Super Jumbo was handed over at the Airbus factory in this northern
00:14German city.
00:15But it was perhaps not without a sigh of relief that 2,000 workers walked alongside the mammoth
00:21aircraft, waving up at their CEO, Thomas Enders.
00:24It's been a long time coming, close to two years, with a number of delays from the aircraft
00:29manufacturer.
00:30At times, they've strained relations between the two companies.
00:33Still, Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Said Al Maktoum made a surprise announcement before
00:38the unveiling of the aircraft, an agreement to buy 60 more long-haul A330s and A350s.
00:45At a cool $12 billion, it's further proof that Emirates continues to thrive while other
00:50airlines struggle to weather a turbulent market.
00:54With rising fuel prices and a focus on environmental flying, buying 60 mammoth aircraft worth
00:59$18.8 billion is not going to go unnoticed.
01:03Emirates President Tim Clark was still bullish about the purchase.
01:06We do not aim to premium load this aircraft, and if it had not been fuel going through
01:12the roof as it had, we would have been able to be far more price competitive than we are
01:17today with this aircraft, especially when we start putting more seats into it.
01:22The unveiling was a scene reminiscent of New Year's celebrations in a European city.
01:27Laser shows, post-modern dances and rousing Emirates theme music lured in a selected
01:32group of guests before the huge aircraft was unveiled.
01:35Now that the first A380 has arrived on UAE soil, the focus of attention will move to
01:40where this state-of-the-art aircraft will fly to.
01:43And scenes of celebration will turn to some hard bargaining with both governments and
01:48airport operators.
01:49Ashraf Helmy, Gulf News.