Emirates to phase out A340-500 fleet

It reported today that the Dubai airline has retired two of its 10 Airbus A340-500s, and is breaking one for spares claiming sustained high fuel prices are taking their toll on operations of the four-engined aircraft.
The Dubai network carrier introduced the ultra-long range airliner in 2003.
“But the high cost of fuel makes the aircraft uneconomic to fly now,” Emirates president Tim Clark told Flightglobal..
“We’ve taken a big hit to retire them, but their poor economics means there’s no point in flying them,” Clark was quoted as saying. “They were designed in the late 1990s with fuel at $25-30. They fell over at $60 and at $120 they haven’t got a hope in hell.”
Clark said that Emirates is looking to accelerate the phase-out of its remaining eight A340-500s, and if it cannot find any buyers, “they’re going to the knacker’s yard”.
Industry analyst Saj Ahmad said: “The A340-500, like its sister-ship the A340-600 was never a star seller and that Emirates sees "nil value" to the A340-500 closes a painful chapter with a modern jet unfit for modern use.”