Emirates Sparks A380 Activity Across the Globe

DUBAI, U.A.E. - 1st September 2010 - Emirates' expanding A380 fleet is generating interest from airports across the world as Manchester becomes the latest city to be served by the superjumbo.

The international airline of the United Arab Emirates is now the world's largest operator of the A380 with 12 in the fleet.

A further order for 32 A380s, announced during the Berlin Air Show in June, has prompted a flurry of enquiries from airports around the world.

Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman Emirates Airline & Group, who was born in the North West of England and joined the first Manchester A380 flight said: “This is a historic moment for Emirates as we bring our 21st century superjumbo to the North West twenty years after our first flight from the region. Our Manchester service has been an incredible success story, and we’re delighted to be opening the next chapter today.”

Mr Flanagan added: "People are realising that this is the passenger aircraft of the future. As a result of our announcement in Berlin, we have had enquiries from more than 20 airports across the world, asking whether Emirates would fly the A380 to their airports. These aircraft are a dream to travel in and a dream to have at your disposal for expansion. They are extremely popular with our passengers and where we deploy them, they fill up almost immediately - running at over 90 percent load factor."

Information from Airbus shows that the A380 has now flown to more than 100 airports across the globe, either commercially or for events or test flights.

The start of A380 flights to Manchester from today is the first time the world's largest airliner has operated a scheduled service to a regional airport. It is also the first time Emirates has brought its First Class cabin to the route.

Manchester Airport's Managing Director, Andrew Cornish, said: "The start of daily A380 services from Manchester to Dubai is a moment in history for our airport and the wider region. It's of such significance that we're expecting thousands of people to visit the airport on September 1st to catch a glimpse of her first flight. We've invested around £10m to upgrade the airport's infrastructure to accommodate the flagship of the Emirates fleet and are very much looking forward to welcoming her for the first time."

EK017 leaves Dubai daily at 0755hrs and arrives in Manchester at 1225hrs. EK018 departs Manchester at 1410hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0015hrs the next day.

Emirates’ A380 is renowned for its First Class Private Suites, Onboard 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.

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 1,200 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 headlines.

Emirates now operates A380s on the following routes: London Heathrow, Manchester, Paris, Sydney, Auckland, Toronto, Bangkok, Seoul, Jeddah and Beijing. Hong Kong will be added to that list from 1st October and on 31st October,  the A380 will make a much-anticipated return to New York.

Emirates is the world's largest customer for the superjumbo and its total A380 order book is 90 - with 78 aircraft still to come.

Emirates to launch A380 service to Bangkok and Toronto

Dubai, 18 March 2009 - Emirates Airline today announced it will introduce its double decker A380 aircraft on its Bangkok and Toronto routes. Effective 1st June 2009, the aircraft will debut in Canada while the new Thai route extends the aircraft's presence in Asia after the successful launch of the A380 on Sydney and Auckland in February.

“We are extremely pleased to announce the introduction of the A380 for our Toronto and Bangkok services. Our Toronto route has had consistently high demand since the thrice weekly service was launched two years ago. The A380 will allow Emirates to address some of the unmet need in Toronto while on Bangkok, the A380 will help support the Thai government 's new tourism initiatives, ” said Emirates President Tim Clark.

The change on both services will provide a capacity increase of about 30% for each route.

The new aircraft routes also offer strengthened support for popular transit markets- with the A380 now servicing London Heathrow, UK tourists travelling to/from Thailand can enjoy a seamless A380 experience while for Canada, the change means increased access to Dubai and the Gulf region.

Emirates A380’s ground-breaking in-flight product include onboard shower spas in the First Class cabin featuring signature products by the airline’s premium spa brand, Timeless Spa. The onboard lounge for First and Business class customers mirrors the ambience of an executive club and includes a bar with a wide range of beverages and canapés.

With flat-bed massage-equipped private suites in First Class, a new generation of intelligent seating and flat-beds in Business Class, mood-lighting, and a second-to-none in-flight entertainment system featuring over 1000 channels of on-demand entertainment, the Emirates’ A380 introduces a new level of comfort and luxury. It is set in a three-class configuration (14 First, 76 Business and 399 Economy Class seats) and spread over two levels with the upper deck dedicated to First and Business class passengers.

Services to Toronto on EK 241 depart Dubai at 09:55 hours, arriving in Toronto at 15:45 hours. EK 242 departs Toronto at 21:40 hours arriving in Dubai at 18:35 hours on the next day. Services are offered on EK 241 and 242 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Services to Bangkok on EK 372 depart Dubai at 09:40 hours, arriving in Bangkok at 19:00 hours. It turns around as EK 373 departing Bangkok at 21:25 hours, arriving in Dubai at 00:30 hours the next day. The Bangkok service operates daily.

Effective 1st June 2009 Emirates will operate five A380's on the following routes: Dubai-London Heathrow (daily), Dubai-Sydney/Auckland (daily), Dubai Toronto (three times weekly) and Bangkok (daily). The airline will accept another four A380 aircraft into it's fleet in the financial year of 2009/2010 and has announced it will introduce services to Seoul in December

Emirates Expands Its A380 Global Network

DUBAI, U.A.E., 2nd February 2009 –Award-winning Emirates Airline notched up yet another first today as it operated the world’s first A380 commercial service from Dubai to Australia and New Zealand. Sydney and Auckland became the third and fourth destinations to join Emirates’ rapidly-expanding A380 network.

Taking off from its new home - Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport – EK 412 operated by Emirates revolutionary A380 aircraft arrived in Sydney and flew onwards to Auckland, carrying onboard 400-plus passengers from UK, Germany, Malta, the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran, amongst other nationalities. Emirates will operate its A380, dubbed ‘a premium hotel in the sky’, from Dubai to Sydney and across the Tasman to Auckland every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The service will progress to a daily, effective 1st May 2009.

Advancing Emirates’ environmental programme, today's A380 service also heralds a new era for flights Down Under, a green best-practice demonstration flight, and the use of the world's most eco-efficient commercial airliner on the Indian Ocean for the first time.

All three measures are being deployed to cut fuel burn and emissions on flights to/ from Australia and New Zealand as well as reduce journey time for passengers. The per seat fuel burn on the Emirates’ inaugural A380 flight is expected to be 20 percent less vis-à-vis the normal flights.

EK412, the first commercial flight of an A380 over the Indian Ocean, is also the test flight for a longer-term green flight initiative involving the Air Navigation Service Providers of Australia, the UAE, Oman, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives working with Emirates and other airlines to pioneer best environmental practice over the world's third-largest oceanic region. The programme will officially commence in the first half of 2009.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, East Asia and Australasia noted: “The start of A380 services on this route represents yet another initiative in Emirates’ partnership with Australia and New Zealand. Emirates is not only committing to offer a revolutionary in-flight experience to travellers from these countries but is also enhancing capacity on the route – a welcome news to tourism authorities of both countries as they seek to attract increasing number of visitors from the Middle East.”

Despite a challenging global economic environment, visitors from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) visiting Australia are expected to grow by 8% this year and by 15 % in 2010, according to a forecast by the Tourism Australia Aviation and Economics Team.

In its last annual study, Tourism New South Wales recorded close to 30,000 overnight visitors from the region, representing 43.3% of its total visitors and a 32.9% increase from the previous year’s study. Already, Emirates is carrying over 50% of all Gulf tourists visiting Australia. The airline’s robust network in the Middle East and North Africa comprises 194 flights per week to 16 key gateways.

“The growth in Emirates’ seat capacity by over 40 % is expected to encourage above-average growth of visitor arrivals and support both countries’ marketing efforts in the region,” added Mr Vaughan.

In a move aimed at facilitating travel, New Zealand signed a visa-waiver agreement with the six member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Trade benefits will also accrue as the Middle East is a valuable market for New Zealand products including wool, dairy products, meat, manufactured goods and services. At the same time the region is an important source for New Zealand’s crude oil, polymers and fertilisers.

The new service will also benefit Australians and New Zealanders travelling to their preferred cities in Europe and the Middle East, and will facilitate a seamless A380 experience from Auckland/Sydney to Dubai and onwards to London Heathrow – an important route for travellers from both countries.

The Emirates’ A380 sets a new milestone in environmental conservation, offering better fuel economy per passenger mile than most hybrid passenger cars. The aircraft’s environment credentials were further strengthened with today’s green flight that effectively employed new technology and multi-government co-operation to create ultra-efficient flexible routings and minimise fuel burn.

To maximise its environmental efficiency, EK 412 adopted the following measures:Priority departure from Dubai and an unrestricted climb from UAE Air Traffic Control to ensure optimal fuel burn.
Flexible, ultra-efficient routings over countries and their air space such as Oman, the Maldives and India.
Dynamic re-routing to allow for weather changes, particularly high-altitude winds, to save journey time and emissions.
Arranged with AirServices Australia to allow a continuous descent arrival to ensure fuel is saved and noise is minimised.
Arranged with Airways Corporation of New Zealand for the continuation of the green initiatives on EK412 between Sydney and Auckland.
Emirates and Airways New Zealand used the concept of User Preferred Routes to further reduce fuel and emissions over the Tasman.

Post arrival in Sydney and Auckland, Emirates kicked off a series of familiarisation tours aboard its superjumbo. Emirates’ A380 has received glowing reviews from passengers and the travel trade with its onboard Shower Spas, yet another industry first, that offer a whole new dimension of luxury air travel.

Emirates onboard lounge for First and Business Class passengers is an exclusive space to stretch your legs, relax, socialise or simply catch up with business. Designed to make you feel like you are in your very own executive club, its bar is stocked with a varied and enticing selection of beverages and canapés.

Set in a three-class configuration (14 First, 76 Business and 399 Economy Class seats) the Emirates A380 offers a level of comfort and space never seen before on a commercial airliner. Spread over two levels, the whole of the upper deck is dedicated to Premium Class passengers. Towards the front, First Class passengers can relax in flat-bed, massage-equipped Private Suites. Business Class passengers can enjoy a new generation of intelligent seating designed to ensure all 76 flat-bed seats have aisle access.

Passengers in Economy will appreciate the straight walls throughout the cabin that lend to a more spacious ambience, enhanced further by generous seats and wider aisles.

Emirates bespoke and award-winning inflight system ‘ice’ (information, communication and entertainment) offers over 1000 channels of on-demand entertainment - the largest selection of programming in the skies.

Emirates A380 En Route to Sydney and Auckland

DUBAI, U.A.E., 1st February 2009 – Emirates Airline notched up yet another first today as it operated the world’s first A380 commercial service from Dubai to Australia and New Zealand. Sydney and Auckland became the third and fourth destinations to join Emirates’ rapidly-expanding A380 network.

Taking off from its new home - Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport – EK 412 will arrive in Sydney and Auckland to a rousing welcome tomorrow. Emirates A380 will operate from Dubai to Sydney and across the Tasman to Auckland every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Today's A380 service also heralds a new era for flights Down Under as it adopted a host of green measures to maximise its environmental efficiency. The green best-practice demonstration flight employed new technology and multi-government co-operation to create ultra-efficient flexible routings and to minimise fuel burn.

Emirates announces A380 services to South Korea – its first to North East Asia

DUBAI, U.A.E., 28th January 2009 - Emirates Airline today announced that it would begin operating its ultra-modern and environmentally-friendly A380 aircraft to Seoul's Incheon International Airport in November 2009.

The new service is perfectly timed to coincide with Visit Korea Year in 2010, where the national government and the city of Seoul are joining forces with the private sector to promote South Korea as a destination for international tourism.

The new service represents the aviation world’s first A380 operation to Seoul, as well as Emirates’ first A380 service to North East Asia. It follows the successful deployment of Emirates’ A380s to New York and London, and soon-to-be-launched Sydney and Auckland.

Trade between South Korea and the UAE has grown by more than 150% over the past five years and is now worth over USD16 billion dollars a year. Growing economic relations is the result of a series of joint initiatives including the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to South Korea, and subsequent visits by the Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry to the UAE.

The Samsung Corporation is currently completing construction of the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, which will open later this year. South Korean exports to the UAE grew by over 50% in the first half of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. Emirates leading export goods from South Korea in 2008 were mobile phones headed for Dubai and the Middle East.

Emirates’ A380 service will also support the South Korean government's drive to make Incheon International Airport a major Asian hub.

“Seoul has been an extremely successful market for Emirates since we introduced services in 2005. In 2004 just 37,000* passengers a year travelled between Dubai and Seoul where as today it is over 260,000*. This new aircraft will allow us to further develop this market as well as encourage more tourism and trade to South Korea,” the Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, H.H Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said.

“Incheon International Airport has invested significantly to prepare its infrastructure for A380 operations and we thank them and our ground handlers, Swissport, for their hard work to ensure the airport is so well equipped for our A380,” Sheikh Ahmed added.

The President and CEO of Incheon International Airport, CW Lee said: “This is an important milestone for the future of Incheon and aviation in South Korea. We have made major investments worth USD 4 billion to prepare the airport for the A380 and we are very happy to be soon welcoming this important aircraft.

“Incheon has won the world's best customer service award three years in a row and introducing the A380 to Seoul will ensure the customer experience continues to blossom,” Mr Lee added.

Swissport Korea President, J.W. Kim noted: “Incheon International Airport will be ready and well prepared for the A380 with new push-back tugs and de-icing equipment amongst other investments. Our specially trained staff are looking forward to welcoming the world's most advanced new aircraft to South Korea.”

The A380 is the world's most environmentally-advanced aircraft with significant reductions in noise, emissions and fuel burn compared to other comparable aircraft.

Emirates A380’s revolutionary in-flight product includes onboard shower spas in the First Class cabin featuring signature products by the airline’s premium spa brand, Timeless Spa. The onboard lounge for First and Business class customers mirrors the ambience of an executive club and includes a bar with a wide range of beverages and canapés.

With flat-bed massage-equipped private suites in First Class, a new generation of intelligent seating and flat-beds in Business Class, mood-lighting, and a second-to-none in-flight entertainment system featuring over 1000 channels of on-demand entertainment, the Emirates’ A380 introduces a whole new dimension to luxury air travel.

Emirates currently operates daily flights to Seoul operated by a Boeing 777.

* Represents total passenger traffic between Dubai and Seoul on all airlines.