Emirates A380 Touches Down in Kuwait

Ahmed Khoory,
Emirates Senior VP
Commercial Operations,
Gulf, ME and Iran
talks to local Kuwaiti media

KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT – 27 February 2011 – Emirates has completed a world first with one of its superjumbo A380’s touching down at Kuwait International Airport.

The one off commercial flight from Dubai, EK857, arrived to a water cannon salute as the aircraft taxied towards the airport’s new A380 equipped terminal.  

Onboard the flight were a number of high profile officials including; Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran.

“This is a significant moment in Kuwait’s aviation history and it is an honour to be a part of it. As our flagship aircraft the A380 represents Emirates’ ambition to break new ground and transform the way people view air travel,” said Mr Khoory.

“Kuwait marked Emirates’ 15th international destination way back in 1989. Some 22 years later, with the valuable support of the Kuwait Government, we now operate 28 flights per week from Dubai to Kuwait, with four flights per day,” added Khoory.

Discussing the possibility of taking the A380 into Kuwait on a more permanent schedule Mr Khoory said that with another 75 A380 aircraft on order it was certainly a “possibility in the future”, especially given the strong demand for this route.

Emirates’ A380 arrives in Kuwait to a water cannon salute

Once docked at the terminal Emirates gave a guided static tour of the double-decker aircraft to around 100 waiting guests, including Emirates’ Country Manager Kuwait, Bader Hassan, senior airport officials and members of the Kuwaiti media.

The tour gave the guests a chance to see firsthand the innovative amenities provided for passengers onboard.

Emirates’ A380 is renowned for its First Class Private Suites, Shower Spas and Onboard Lounge for First Class and Business Class passengers, offering a wide range of drinks and canapés, as well as space to socialise or simply relax.

Flat-bed massage-equipped private suites await passengers in First Class, while in Business Class there is a new generation of all-aisle flat-bed seats, whilst those travelling on the main deck in Economy Class can stretch out in seats with a pitch of up to 33 inches.

Emirates A380 in Kuwait

Passengers in all classes can lose themselves in the quietness of the aircraft and the award-winning ice in-flight entertainment system. There are more than 1,000 channels of on-demand entertainment, including 200 movies from around the world, 100 TV channels, more than 500 audio channels, 100 video games and news, sports and business headlines.

Emirates currently has 15 A380’s in it’s fleet operating to 12 destinations including; London Heathrow, Paris, Seoul, Hong Kong, Sydney, Auckland, Toronto, Manchester, New York, Jeddah, Bangkok and Beijing. A further 75 A380’s are on order.

Emirates currently operates four daily flights into Kuwait serviced by a mixture of Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft in three class configurations.

ENDS-

Photo Captions:
1) Emirates’ A380 arrives in Kuwait to a water cannon salute
2) Emirates A380 in Kuwait
3) Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran talks to local Kuwaiti media