Emirates will deploy a second A380 to Perth from August 1, which will replace the existing B777-300ER serving one of its two daily flights to and from the Australian city.
The aircraft replacement follows earlier announcements by the Gulf carrier that it would be operating more A380 services in 2016.
The superjumbo was launched on flights to Kuala Lumpur earlier this month, increasing the airline’s existing A380 network in Asia-Pacific, comprising Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and Brisbane.
“Perth is one of the 39 A380 destinations on the Emirates network globally, including 13 east-bound destinations,” said Thierry Antinori, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Emirates.
“With more A380s on order, we look forward to continue utilising this highly popular aircraft to serve customer and capacity demand on key routes”.
Business class on the A380
Having first deployed the A380 to Perth last May on flights EK420/EK421, the upgauge of its second daily service will allow Emirates to ferry over 14,000 passengers between its base in Dubai and Perth every week.
The second A380 will operate as flights EK424/EK425 and feature a three-class configuration, with 14 closed suites in first, 76 seats in business and 429 in economy.
The aircraft change represents great news for business class customers given that the full-flat product on the A380 is a significant upgrade over the angle-flat version offered on the B777-300ER.
Flight times will be unchanged from the existing schedule, with EK424 departing Dubai at 1010 and arriving in Perth at 1250 the following day. The return service will see flight EK425 take off from the West Australian capital at 0600, before touching back down in Dubai at 1300.
For more information, visit emirates.com
Clement Huang
