Emirates A380 continues to capture the imagination of Kiwis after 10 years of operations

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Emirates is celebrating 10 years of A380 operations. Since its first flight to New York from Dubai on 1 August 2008, the Emirates A380 has carried more than 105 million passengers, 10.2 million of them being those travelling to and from New Zealand which is the second highest passenger destination for the A380.

Overall it’s clocked in more than 1.5 billion kilometres on 115,000 flights, equivalent to 39,000 trips around the globe. Watch the Emirates A380 10-year journey here.Emirates is the world’ largest operator of the A380 aircraft, with 104 double- decker aircraft flying to 49 cities on 6 continents on scheduled services with more than 80 daily departures from Dubai, the airline’s hub. In addition to its 104-strong fleet, the airline has a further 58 A380s on order. Today, Emirates also operates the world’s shortest A380 route from Dubai to Kuwait and the world’s longest A380 non-stop route from Dubai to Auckland.

The airline has also grown its scheduled services to major airports and has also successfully grown demand at regional airports such as Manchester, Brisbane, Kuala Lumpur, Houston, Prague, Kuwait, Mauritius, Johannesburg and Sao Paulo.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “It’s been 10 extraordinary years since the first Emirates A380 flight took to the skies, and today it has become one of the most recognisable and admired aircraft in the world. Kiwis love to fly it because of its spaciousness which provides more comfort across all classes, and its iconic products like the OnBoard Lounge, Shower Spa and First Class suites have redefined air travel. We remain committed to providing the best experience for our customers aboard our flagship aircraft, and introducing new innovations that will continue to ‘wow’ them every time they fly with us.

The Emirates A380 has also had a significant impact on the aerospace industry and its high-value supply chains, fuelling hundreds of thousands of jobs for skilled workers, and creating significant economic benefits in countries which have A380 production facilities. The aircraft continues to boost tourism and trade wherever it flies by stimulating further traffic and demand, and we hope that it continues to play an important role in the economies and societies that it serves in the years to come.”

Aviation history making momentsThe Emirates A380 has been at the centre of a number of aviation firsts over the last decade, including the unprecedented formation flight in 2015 with the Jetman Dubai duo. The stunning formations were conducted over the Dubai skyline and the Palm Jumeirah, showcasing how far aviation has come. That same year, Emirates introduced the world’s first 2-class A380, with capacity for 615 passengers.

In 2017, the A380 took to the skies again at the Dubai Airshow with a special fly-past accompanied by the Boeing 777-300ER, closely followed by the UAE’s air display team, Al Fursan.

The Emirates A380 has also touched down in 73 airports for one-off and scheduled services, special commemorative flights, chartered flights, test flights and other operational deployments and the aircraft has been instrumental in maximising efficiencies at slot constrained airports.

Inspiring a better customer experienceFrom First Class to Economy Class, the Emirates A380 has been an industry step-change for passengers to experience new standards of in-flight comfort. Emirates revolutionised the A380’s cabin space design when it introduced its bespoke version of the aircraft in 2008, incorporating higher ceilings, mood- lighting as well as signature, industry-first elements like its OnBoard Lounge, a social area at 40,000 feet where jet-setters could meet in an ambient setting. In 2017, Emirates introduced the next generation of the OnBoard Lounge featuring a sleeker design, new colour palette, social seating arrangement and surround sound, among other touches. The popular Shower Spa has become a defining feature of the premium experience on the Emirates A380’s three-class configured aircraft, and over 80% of long-haul First Class customers have utilised it.

Emirates’ First Class experience on its A380 provides passengers with an unprecedented level of privacy and thoughtful touches of luxury with more than 1,400 A380 First Class suites flying today.

Across all classes, over 120 million meals have been served on the A380 since 2008. First Class customers have consumed 2.7 million tins of caviar, and more than 3.5 million fresh flowers have been loaded on A380 flights.

Emirates multi-award winning in-flight entrainment system, ice, offers unparalleled choice and quality when it comes to entertainment, with more than 3,500 channels. The Emirates A380 Economy Class seats feature among the widest individual in-seat screens in the industry, measuring in at 13.3 inches.

Emirates also has 1,500 flight deck crew and over 20,000 cabin crew specially trained to operate its A380 fleet.

Positive impact on societies and economiesThe Emirates A380 programme supports manufacturing jobs across the global aircraft manufacturing supply chain, and Airbus estimates that Emirates’ A380 orders support 41,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs in Europe alone. The estimated Europe-wide impact of Emirates’ A380 investment contributes €3.4 billion to the GDP of the region.*

In January 2018, Emirates ordered a further 36 A380s worth US$16 billion, taking the airline’s commitment for the aircraft to 178 units, and further generating catalytic benefits for European economies with the airline’s impending deliveries beyond 2020.

Since 2013, the Emirates A380 has also conducted humanitarian ferry flights in partnership with the Airbus Foundation, transporting over 120 tonnes of food and vital emergency equipment to those in need.

Dubai – a global centre for A380 maintenance and operationsAs the largest operator of the Airbus A380, Emirates’ engineering division, based in Dubai, has become a global leader in A380 maintenance. The airline operates modern, extensive facilities that include seven heavy maintenance hangars and four light maintenance hangars that can all accommodate the A380. Emirates Engineering has also amassed the experience, know-how and infrastructure to provide the most comprehensive Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities and services in the world, with 157 A380 C-Checks conducted to date. In addition, more than 25 A380 aircraft have been repainted and 16 large aircraft decals are currently emblazoned on Emirates’ A380s, in addition to all A380 aircraft displaying the Expo 2020 nose decals. All aircraft repainting and decal applications are completed at the airline’s Aircraft Appearance Centre in Dubai.

In 2013, the world’s largest A380 hub welcomed the opening of Concourse A, a first of its kind purpose-built Concourse dedicated to A380 operations. The US$ 3.3 billion facility offers travellers unprecedented convenience with direct boarding to the A380 aircraft from the First and Business class lounges, as well as other world-class amenities.

* According to Frontier Economics analysis carried out in 2015*Catering figures taken from Emirates’ A380s departing Dubai only. This does not include meals loaded overseas.