Emirates was expected to receive the first of two A380-800Fs in late 2008 and planned to put it into service on trunk routes from its Dubai hub to destinations in Europe and Asia. With more than 30 passenger aircraft on order when it originally signed for the freighter, Emirates—which would later increase its A380 order to nearly 50 aircraft—decided it needed the dedicated freighters to keep pace with growth. Pre-A380, Emirates carried 80 percent of its total cargo in the belly of its passenger aircraft with the rest flying on leased 747-400Fs. The carrier needed to boost capacity because of the relatively limited 33,000-pound belly cargo capacity of the passenger A380 variant. Mark Wagner