Emirates may switch Airbus jet order

Emirates, the biggest customer for the new Airbus A380, said it may buy more of the aircraft in place of a $4.2 billion order for 20 smaller planes.

Emirates, owned by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, may cancel its order for A340-600s and instead replace it with one for the world's biggest passenger plane when it comes into service at the end of the year, Emirates spokesman Mike Simon said.

The four-engine A340-600 is being beaten for business by Boeing's two-engine 777-300, which is more fuel-efficient.

Emirates has orders for 12 of the Airbus planes and options on eight more, which are the largest Airbus aircraft currently in service.

It's also ordered 43 A380s and will lease two more.

Emirates, the biggest Arab airline, last month delayed its A340-600 order to give Airbus time to develop a better version of the jet.

The order "still stands," Simon said Sunday.

Airbus offers three variations on the A340 model: the A340-300, which seats 295 passengers; the A340-600, which seats 380; and the A340-500, which seats 313 and flies 8,500 nautical miles, competing with the 777-200LR.