Dubai-based airline Emirates, the biggest customer for the world's biggest airliner, the Airbus A380, said on Tuesday that because of a further six month delay in deliveries, it would not be able to put the plane into operation before January 2008.

"We have been informed by Airbus that the delivery of our A380 aircraft will be delayed by six months. Emirates now expects to receive its first A380 in October 2007, to be put into operation in January 2008," an Emirates spokesman said.

"We are considering our position and will be engaging with the manufacturer over the next few weeks," he added.

Emirates has ordered 43 of the A380, which carries a list price of USD$300 million -- by far the largest order for the plane.