A preliminary deal to sell 36 A380s to Emirates blew up in an Airbus hospitality chalet moments before the Gulf carrier was expected to shower $30 billion on the plane maker and its U.S. rival Boeing at the start of last week's Dubai Airshow.

Two top Emirates officials broke the news to Airbus CEO Tom Enders and his sales chief, John Leahy, that the widely expected $16 billion deal would not be signed that day, leaving uncertainty over the future of the world's largest jetliner.

The halt came so swiftly that Airbus PR executives who were already in place for a double-signing ceremony a hundred yards away found themselves awkwardly among the audience as Boeing walked away with the sole Emirates order, worth $15 billion.