Emirates to fly Airbus A380s for Dubai - New York, London, Sydney, Auckland

7 March, 2008:

Dubai-based Emirates Airline plans to deploy its Airbus A380s to some of the furthest points on its network.

Emirates will fly its A380s to New York, London Heathrow, Sydney, and Auckland. Emirates is scheduled to operate its new A380s non-stop from Dubai to New York on October 1, 2008, London Heathrow on December 1, 2008, and Sydney-Auckland on February 1, 2009. The aircraft on these routes will offer 489 seats – 14 in First Class, 76 in Business, and 399 in Economy.

Emirates Airlines' president Tim Clarke said that the A380s will take to the skies in late summer, signaling an end to their long wait and ushering in a new era for Emirates. He added that Emirates has played an integral role during the design and development stage to tow the aircraft from the drawing board to the production line, and it looks forward to bringing the A380s into commercial service.

The airline believes that its customers can rightly anticipate an exhilarating experience on the state-of-the-art aircraft, which will be especially appointed and equipped to Emirates’ exacting standards.

Emirates is the first and the leading customer for the A380s with 58 on order. It is expected to take delivery of five of the double-decker aircraft in 2008, while other configurations in the A380 fleet will feature a medium-range three-class 517-seater, and a medium-range two-class aircraft with 604 seats.

The arrival of the first Emirates A380 will prove to be a major milestone for Emirates Airline as it takes the first step in the gradual build-up towards becoming the world’s largest operator of the super-jumbo. By the end of 2010, Emirates' distinctive livery colors on the A380 will have become a familiar sight to millions of travelers worldwide. Emirates has also announced services to Kozhikode in Kerala from July 1, 2008. With a route network that currently spans over 90 destinations in 62 countries, Emirates will launch services to Cape Town on March 30, 2008.