Lessor sees pick-up in demand for A380 in next 2 years

Toulouse

MARC Lapidus, the Russian-born financier who announced the purchase of 20 Airbus A380s at the last Paris Air Show two years ago and has since failed to place a single one with an airline, said he's not given up as potential customers only now start to see the benefits of the jumbo jet.

Mr Lapidus, who runs leasing company Amedeo, said that he's held discussions since the order was announced about how to optimise the aircraft, which he says was not ideally configured when it first went into service in 2007. With airlines including Emirates - by far the largest buyer of the A380 - now adding more seats, others will come around and provide potential for at least 15 new buyers in the next two years, he said.