HAMBURG  - Emirates will exercise purchasing rights for 16 Airbus A380 jets "sooner rather than later," the airline's president said on Wednesday.

Emirates signed a preliminary agreement in January for 20 A380s and options for an additional 16. It has since finalised the agreement for the 20 A380 jets.

The Middle East airline is still deciding which engines it will purchase for those A380s, President Tim Clark told reporters in Hamburg.

(Reporting by Victoria Bryan, writing by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Susan Fenton) ((Alexander.Cornwell@thomsonreuters.com;))