Emirates A380 returns for a bite of the Big Apple

Emirates Airline is heading back to New York with its A380 on October 31, as traffic from the Americas increases.

The carrier recorded a year-on-year rise of 8.1% in revenue from the region in 2009/10 and senior company officials said further US destinations were being assessed.

Airline president Tim Clark said: "We promised to return the A380 to New York as soon as demand recovered and we have been true to our word.

"Against some of the toughest operating conditions ever faced, the results for the Americas have been hugely encouraging. This achievement reflects our success in maintaining our business as usual approach and remaining faithful to our strategy of product and service excellence."

"As we look to 2010-11 and beyond, Emirates will continue to invest in its products and services to build on the resurgent demand for air travel within the Americas. Our plans for the future also include adding new US cities to our four existing gateways: New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco."

Emirates' expansion plans for the region will be boosted by a significant increase in capacity. The airline is scheduled to receive 11 new wide-body aircraft in 2010, including Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s.

Emirates currently operates eight A380 aircraft, serving London Heathrow, Toronto, Paris, Jeddah, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney and Auckland.