Tag Archives: A380

Etihad Airways celebrated the return to service of its Airbus A380 on a special inaugural commercial flight from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow. The first of Etihad’s four Airbus A380s returns to the sky on the popular Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow route. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, says: “We’re excited to once again welcome guests onboard Etihad’s A380s and step into a truly remarkable experience. Whether our guests are choosing to fly in Economy, Business, First or our three-room suite in the sky The Residence, this aircraft provides an elevated flying experience which we take extreme pride in. The aircraft adds much needed capacity connecting Abu Dhabi with London Heathrow and allows us to build our network and increase frequencies across the network. With a surge in demand for travel over the summer, the return of our much-loved A380 comes at the perfect time.” Guests flying with in Economy are greeted on board in a dedicated welcome area. The Economy cabin features 68 Economy Space seats offering an additional 4 inches in leg room, and 337 Economy Smart seats that come with Etihad’s signature fixed-wing headrest and large pillows for added comfort. 70 Business Studios® are available on Etihad’s A380 upper deck, granting privacy to customers and creating a serene atmosphere. On the upper deck, guests can enjoy access to The Lobby, a serviced lounge and bar area located between the First and Business cabins. In addition, guests will benefit from Etihad’s unique partnership with Armani/Casa, delivering an elevated Business experience. The dining service features ceramics, glassware, cutlery and serving ware, as well as premium textiles and a memory foam mattress for a completely luxurious inflight experience. Guests can …

Emirates’ iconic flagship A380 landed at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, signalling a better way to fly between Dubai and Casablanca, as well as increasing travel demand in and out of Morocco. Passengers onboard the first A380 to Morocco were in for an extra tinge of excitement as the superjumbo was dressed in a special livery marked for the occasion. The aircraft sported the Museum of the Future Livery, Dubai’s newest definitive marvel, architectural icon and centre for pioneering concepts and ideas. The daily A380 service replaces the existing Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently used between Dubai and Casablanca. Emirates flight EK 751 takes off from Dubai International Airport at 07:30hrs and lands in in Casablanca at 11:55hrs. EK 752 departs Casablanca at 1445hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0115hrs the next day. The aircraft was received by Khalfan Al Salami, Country Manager, Morocco, along with a host of dignitaries including Alasri Al Dhaheri, the UAE ambassador of Morocco, Omar Abdulrahman Al Tunaiji, UAE Consul General of Morocco, Alarby Bin Ebrahim, Public relations Manager, and Abdalhaq Mazrour, Airport Director, Morocco. Emirates has been flying to Morocco for 21 years and the return of A380 services underscores its long-standing commitment to the country, boosting inbound traffic and supporting the tourism recovery of the country. Casablanca continues to be a popular leisure destination on the Emirates’ net, and the upgrade of services to an A380 will provide travellers more opportunities to connect to the Moroccan capital, as well as provide customers more connectivity to Dubai and beyond to cities through  Emirates’ extensive global network. Passengers travelling on the first A380 are coming from the Middle East, South and South East Asia, South Africa, …

Emirates’ flagship A380 made a landmark touchdown at Christchurch Airport, marking the resumption of its daily service from Dubai to Christchurch via Sydney after more than three years. The special service was greeted by a crowd of spectators at the Christchurch Airport boundary, who watched as the iconic aircraft taxied through a ceremonial water canon salute, before parking in view of trade, media, and VIP guests at the international terminal. Outbound EK412 left Dubai at 10:15 local time, stopping briefly in Sydney before arriving in Christchurch at 13:55 hours the next day, New Zealand time. On board the first flight back to Christchurch, Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia, Emirates, said: “Seeing the water cannon salute after we touched down in the first Emirates A380 flight in more than three years is a reminder of how special the aircraft is to Christchurch, since its first arrival in 2016. The significance of the occasion was also clear on the faces of the other passengers on board, who understood what this service means for Christchurch and connecting it to the world.” “Not only has Christchurch again become the smallest city on Emirates’ A380 network, but New Zealand is now the first country on our network to exclusively carry our four cabin A380 and our best product yet. The phenomenal customer response from the moment tickets went on sale, both in and out of Christchurch, speak to a city in high demand.” Phil Mauger Christchurch Mayor said: “The return of the Emirates A380 service is a great boost for Christchurch and the wider South Island. It shows we’re open for business and welcoming travellers after several years of Covid restrictions. I wish the …

Emirates will deploy its signature A380 aircraft to Bali starting from 1 June 2023, marking a milestone in Indonesia’s aviation history as the first A380 service to the country. The new 2-class Emirates A380 service will replace one of the two daily services to Bali currently operated by a 2-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline’s debut A380 flight EK368, will depart from Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 03:25 hrs, arriving in Denpasar International Airport (DPS) at 16:35 hrs local time. The returning flight, EK369, will depart Bali at 19:40 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 00:45 hrs local time. All times are local. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, the Emirates App, at Emirates sales offices, and via both online and offline travel agents. Travellers are also encouraged to check the Emirates website for the latest travel requirements. Highlighting the deployment of the world’s largest passenger aircraft to Bali, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The Emirates A380 is synonymous with our fly better promise and world-class products and services, and we’re excited to offer our travellers the opportunity to experience its uniqueness and unmatched beauty on flights to and from Bali. Needless to say that we’ve been working closely with our partners at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport to ensure our A380 operations will be seamless and smooth. We’d like to thank the authorities and our partners for all their support. Bali continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in our network and strategic markets in Southeast Asia, and the Emirates A380’s debut in Indonesia underscores our long-standing commitment to its travel and tourism sector. We look forward to driving more inbound traffic to the island, …

Emirates has announced it will scale up its A380 operations with the iconic double-decker returning to Glasgow (26 March 2023), Nice (1 June 2023) and Birmingham (1 July 2023). The airline has also announced it will resume its second daily service to Stansted starting from 1 May 2023, utilising its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its renowned ‘Game Changer’ First Class product. With the return of the second daily flight to Stansted, Emirates will ramp up  its operations to London with 11 daily flights, including six times daily to London Heathrow and three times daily to Gatwick. The airline continues to expand its global network and increase capacity in line with growing travel demand. Emirates currently deploys its flagship A380 to 40 destinations worldwide. By the end of this summer, the popular aircraft will be serving almost 50 destinations, restoring close to 90% of the airline’s pre-pandemic A380 network. Emirates is the largest operator of Airbus A380, with more than 80 aircraft currently in active service. The airline first launched A380 operations to Birmingham in 2016; Nice in 2017; and Glasgow in 2019. The first Emirates A380 to be completely refurbished under the airline’s US$ 2 billion retrofit program was deployed earlier this month on the Dubai-London Heathrow service featuring the Premium Economy cabin, and Emirates’ latest cabin interiors including lighter colour palettes in First and Business Class. The airline also plans to ramp up its four-class A380 operations featuring Premium Economy cabins to more than 35 destinations across 20 countries by March 2024. The Emirates A380 is loved by customers for its spacious and comfortable cabins, quietness, and unique on-board features such as the Onboard Lounge and First …

Emirates announced that it will reintroduce its flagship A380 to Casablanca as part of the airline’s ramp up of operations to Morocco. Starting from 15 April, the airline will replace the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently used between Dubai and Casablanca with its flagship A380 to meet growing demand on the route. The A380 service, operating as EK751 departs from Dubai at 0730hrs, arriving in Casablanca at 1255hrs. EK 752 departs from Casablanca at 1445hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0115hrs the following day. The enhancement of capacity between Casablanca and Dubai will offer leisure and business travellers more opportunities to connect to Dubai and beyond to cities across the Middle East and GCC, Europe, the Americas and West Asia. The flagship A380’s deployment to Morocco is also a testament of the airline’s commitment to support inbound visitor arrivals as the country double downs its efforts to reinvigorate its tourism industry. Last year, Emirates enhanced its partnership with Royal Air Maroc to a codeshare, providing more travel options and connection choices for customers of both airlines between Dubai and Casablanca, and beyond. Casablanca is a popular leisure destination on Emirates’ global network, and demand on the route has seen steady growth since being launched in March 2002. The airline has been operating to Morocco for over 20 years, and has carried more than 3.5 million passengers on the route. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers, with the spacious double-decked aircraft offering 14 First Class suites and 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class, as well as 401 generously pitched seats in Economy Class. Customers travelling to and from Casablanca can look forward to enjoying Emirates’ spacious and comfortable cabins, …

Emirates will resume its services to Tokyo-Haneda starting from 2 April 2023, building back its Japanese network and providing even more choice and flexibility for travellers to one of the region’s top economies and destinations. Operated by one of Emirates’ latest Boeing 777 “Game Changer” aircraft, flight EK312 will depart Dubai at 07:50hrs, and arrive in Haneda at 22:35hrs. The return flight EK313 will depart Haneda at 00:05hrs, and arrive in Dubai at 06:20hrs. All times are local.* The resumption underscores Emirates’ continued support to Japan’s post-pandemic travel and tourism revival, serving the surging demand for international travel and increasing inbound traffic from key markets across its global network. Emirates’ return to Haneda will further boost the airline’s operations in the market, alongside its daily A380 service to Tokyo-Narita and a daily Boeing 777 service to Osaka. Since the route’s launch in 2013, and until the pandemic hit, Haneda has always been one of the key points on Emirates’ network for trade and tourism. The airline remains committed to supporting Japan’s accelerated growth and recovery and has recently celebrated 20 milestone years of operations to Osaka – the country’ second largest metropolitan city after Tokyo. Emirates also offers passengers access to 26 additional domestic cities in Japan and 10 regional points via Tokyo and Osaka, through its codeshare partnership with Japan Airlines. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via travel agents. Travellers are also encouraged to check the latest entry requirements.   With the addition of Tokyo-Haneda, Emirates takes its global network up to 141 points across 6 continents, including 10 cargo-only destinations. Emirates currently operates its latest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its ‘Game Changer’ …

The first Emirates A380 to be completely refurbished under the airline’s US$ 2 billion retrofit program has been deployed on the Dubai-London Heathrow service, operating as EK003. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “Customers will notice the difference the moment they step onboard – the spacious A380 will look and feel even more impressive and comfortable. With our latest interiors and products, this newly refurbished aircraft elevates our inflight experience in all classes of travel, and enables us to offer more Premium Economy seats to meet customer demand. I’m particularly proud that this refurbishment work was designed, conducted and completed inhouse at our facilities in Dubai, to the highest standards of quality and safety. It reflects the world-class aviation capabilities and infrastructure that exists within Emirates, and here in the UAE.” The fully refreshed A380 features Emirates’ latest products and interiors across all cabins, including 56 Premium Economy class seats on the main deck, and new colour palettes evident in the carpeting and wall panels. On the upper deck, First and Business Class seats sport Emirates’ latest cream-coloured leather upholstery and lighter-toned wood finishing, similar to the airline’s ‘game changer’ product. Emirates’ signature ghaf tree motif also features prominently throughout the interiors, including hand-stencilled panels in the First Class Shower Spa. The next Emirates A380 aircraft lined up for its make-over is A6-EUW, and work is expected to be completed by the end of this month. As the program progresses, engineers will work simultaneously on 2 aircraft. This means that one aircraft in the fleet will be withdrawn from service every eight days and transferred to Emirates Engineering facilities. By 2024, all 67 A380s assigned for refurbishment will have …

Emirates’ flagship A380 made a landmark touchdown at Auckland Airport. This is first time the Emirates double-decker has landed in Auckland since February 2020, demonstrating increasing travel demand in and out of New Zealand. The special non-stop daily service from Dubai to Auckland was greeted at Auckland Airport ahead of the country’s first fully open summer since the pandemic. Emirates flight EK448 takes off from Dubai International Airport at 10:05 am and lands in Auckland at 11:05 am local time. The flight has reclaimed the title of Emirates’ longest route on its network, clocking in 14,200 km, with an estimated flight time of just under 16 hours from Dubai to New Zealand and 17 hours, 15 minutes in the other direction. This makes it one of the world’s longest non-stop scheduled commercial flights. Emirates has been flying to New Zealand for 19 years, a sign of its ongoing commitment to the market. Throughout the pandemic, Emirates continued to serve the country, both through connecting New Zealand and the world with daily flights, as well as its SkyCargo services bringing essential goods in and out of the nation. The latest update to its services will offer customers greater levels of flexibility and choice when making travel plans and provide seamless connectivity and reduced transit time when travelling to other destinations in its global network, including destinations in Europe and the Middle East. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers offering 14 First Class suites and 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class. Customers travelling to and from Auckland can look forward to enjoying its spacious and comfortable cabins, signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky …

Etihad Airways announced it is reintroducing four of its A380s from the summer of 2023. The move follows a surge in demand for air travel across the airline’s network and customer feedback for the return of one of the most remarkable commercial flying experiences in the sky. His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “It is wonderful to announce the return of this splendid aircraft. The A380’s reintroduction provides a further boost to Etihad’s capacity into the key UK market, with a knock-on effect for the wider GCC and Indian subcontinent that will bring more visitors to the city of Abu Dhabi.” Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “We know this will be welcomed by our guests who love Etihad’s incredible A380 and its award-winning cabins. We have decided the time is right to return some of our A380s into the fleet to satisfy the demand which has made them financially viable once more. We look forward to welcoming our guests again on board this remarkable aircraft.” Etihad’s A380s feature The Residence as well as three cabin classes on the double-decker aircraft, including 9 First Apartments, 70 Business Studios and 405 Economy Smart Seats. This includes 80 Economy Space seats with a seat pitch of up to 36 inches. The nine First Apartments set across a single-aisle, offer a private living space with a large leather lounge chair and an ottoman which opens up to become a separate 80.5″ long fully-flat bed. The First Apartment is one of the most spacious in its class and also offers a 24″ swiveling LCD TV monitor and personal vanity unit. For the first time, Etihad plans to …