Emirates to add second A380 on Sydney route

Emirates Airline has announced that it will add a second Airbus A380 service on its Sydney route from June 1.

The second A380 will operate on the early morning service and the Dubai-based airline said the move demonstrates its commitment to New South Wales and demand for the flagship aircraft.

Currently served by a Boeing 777-300ER, deploying the Airbus A380 on Emirates’ flights EK414 and EK415 will see an increase in capacity of 1,890 seats per week.

“Emirates’ decision to commit a second A380 on the flights to Sydney is a clear indication of customer demand for the state-of-the-art aircraft and the growing popularity of the early morning Sydney service,” said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ senior vice president, Commercial Operations, Far East and Australasia.

“Australia represents an important market for Emirates and ranks in the top three countries on Emirates’ global network. The A380 is a core element of Australian activity, delivering considerable economic benefits through inbound seats and travel connections,” said Obaidalla.

“Adding larger capacity aircraft is central to our strategy of meeting growing passenger demand, while supporting trade between our two countries. A second A380 for Sydney also compliments our proposed plans for the partnership with Qantas,” he added.

According to a recent Deloitte report, the benefits of an additional Airbus A380 between Dubai and Sydney will contribute an estimated AUS$342m to Australia’s GDP.

The report also said that 4,400 jobs would be created as a result of the additional A380 service, with 2,800 in New South Wales.

Pending regulatory approval, the Qantas and Emirates global aviation partnership will commence on March 31, and will see Qantas and Emirates as the only airlines operating at Dubai International Airport’s Concourse A, built exclusively for the A380.

The two airlines will jointly offer 98 weekly services between Australia and the global gateway city of Dubai, including five daily A380 flights from June 1.

Emirates has carried 14 million passengers on 35,000 trips spanning 200 million kilometres since A380 operations started five years ago.

In 2012 alone, Emirates added 11 A380s to its fleet and remains the