Brisbane airport has welcomed Emirates’ A380 aircraft for the first time in nearly three years.
The superjumbo has replaced Emirates’ B777 which has been operating on the Dubai-Brisbane route since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Flight times for the daily service are now as follows:
Flight EK430 departs Dubai at 0250, landing into Brisbane at 1040, with the return leg EK431 leaving Brisbane at 2055 and arriving back into Dubai at 0530 the following day.
From March 27, 2022 flight departure and arrival times for EK430 will be adjusted to 20 minutes earlier, while EK431 will depart Brisbane at 2155 and arrive into Dubai at 0510 the following day.
Queensland’s Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said that the return of the A380 was “a huge vote of confidence in our State’s economic and tourism recovery”.
Last year Brisbane Airport Corporation’s CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff warned that the airport was in danger of being “left behind” by the international aviation sector, but welcoming the return of the superjumbo he said:
Brisbane airport CEO: “international aviation sector may well leave Australia behind”
“Emirates and BAC have a proud and storied history spanning nearly two decades, and we are incredibly thankful for Emirates’ commitment and confidence to continue doing business in Queensland.
“The return of the A380 to BNE means more seats and opportunities for inbound and outbound leisure travel, visiting family and relatives, corporate travel, and carriage of vital cargo.
“BAC and its partners, including the Queensland Government, Tourism and Events Queensland, Destination Gold Coast and BEDA, look forward to working with Emirates to grow passenger numbers, rebuild the service, and partner on growth opportunities in the years ahead as international travel continues to recover.”
