Dubai-based Emirates Airlines has taken delivery of a sixth Airbus A380 from the Jurgen Thomas Delivery Centre in Hamburg, Germany, to support the airline’s operational needs and meet passenger demand.

A double-deck, wide-body, four-engine airliner, the A380’s wing is sized for a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of over 650t in order to accommodate future versions.

The A380 is based on a commercial off-the-shelf approach, uses the Integrity-178B operating system, and employs an integrated modular avionics (IMA) architecture.

The A380 has greater cabin air pressure, and produces 50% less cabin noise than the 747 models currently in use.

The airline will receive the seventh A380 at the end of December 2009.