Emirates has signed a deal with Airbus for 40 A330-900s and 30 A350-900s.

As part of the agreement, Emirates will also reduce its total order book for the A380 from 162 to 123 aircraft, taking delivery of 14 more over the next two years.

Airbus also announced that it would end the A380 programme in 2021.

“As a result of this decision we have no substantial A380 backlog and hence no basis to sustain production, despite all our sales efforts with other airlines in recent years,” said Tom Enders, chief executive officer of Airbus. “This leads to the end of A380 deliveries in 2021. The consequences of this decision are largely embedded in our 2018 full-year results.”

The A330neo and A350 aircraft will be delivered to Emirates starting from 2021 and 2024 respectively.

“The A380 is Emirates’ flagship and has contributed to the airline’s success for more than 10 years,” said Guillaume Faury, president of Airbus Commercial Aircraft and future CEO of Airbus. “As much as we regret the airline’s position, selecting the A330neo and A350 for its future growth is a great endorsement of our very competitive widebody aircraft family. Going forward, we are fully committed to deliver on the longstanding confidence Emirates is placing in Airbus.”

“Emirates’ fleet strategy to operate a young, modern and efficient all-widebody fleet remains unchanged,” said Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group. “The 40 A330neos and 30 A350s that we are ordering today will complement Emirates’ fleet mix, support our network growth and give us more flexibility to better serve seasonal or opportunistic demand. Both the A330neos and A350s will play an important role in our future fleet and network plans.”

The A330neos will be deployed on regional routes while the A350s will operate long-haul flights from Dubai with a duration of 8-12 hours, according to Emirates.

Emirates previously ordered 50 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s in 2007, but subsequently cancelled the order in 2014.