The 16 Bi$ figure is for 36 aircrafts (including the 16 options) and means a price per unit of 445 Mi$. This is exactly the unit cost listed on Wikipedia. So we can assume the real price for the contract is lower.

> So we can assume the real price for the contract is lower

Very much so. Common discounts for airframes can be 40-50%. Given the circumstances I'd assume Emirates got somewhere near 50; who knows. But both parties needed this deal and as other comments correctly point out the unusually public manoeuvring has been going on for months.

Of course, no-one in the media has any idea about this very closely guarded commercial information and so they simply go by the list price.

That's pretty much list price according to Airbus' recently published price adjustments for 2018.

The article clearly states that $16B is the list price, not the price emirates paid:

> signed an outline agreement for 20 of the double-deckers with an option to buy 16 more, worth a potential $16 billion at list prices

That's for additional optional 16 for a total of 36.