Emirates draws positive balance of Airbus A380 15 years on

28 July 2023

Dubai-based airline continues to rely on aircraft equipped in Hamburg

The Dubai-based Emirates airline has drawn a positive balance of the Airbus A380 15 years after it began operating the aircraft which has since flown 444,600 flights, clocked up 2.74 billion kilometres and transported over 175 million passengers. Airbus Hamburg delivered the first aircraft of this kind on July 28, 2008. Meanwhile, Emirates has ordered another 123 A380 from Airbus all of which were fitted out in Hamburg and delivered from the Hanseatic city. The Hamburg Metropolitan Regions counts among the world's leading centres of civil avation. Emirates has termed the A380 a "passenger favourite" and will continue to rely on the luxury aircraft for the next decade.

Emirates to bring entire A380 fleet back into service

"The A380 has been a success story for Emirates, which is reflected by the strong customer interest wherever we operated the aircraft over the past 15 years," said Volker Greiner, Emirates Vice President North & Central Europe. Due to its special features, the aircraft has redefined travel comfort in commercial aviation, Greiner added. "The A380 will remain our flagship for the next ten years." At present, 93 of the double-decker aircraft are in service, according to Emirates. The airline plans to put its entire A380 fleet consisting of 116 aircraft into service by the end 2023 given the rising demand for international travel.

New premium economy class

The A380's first class was the most comfortably equipped and has been upgraded to include Premium Economy Class on six, newly-delivered aircraft operated on long-haul flights to the United States and Australia. Sixty-seven existing Airbus A380s will also be equipped with the new premium seats and cabin amenities. The airline currently flies to 49 cities in 30 countries on six continents. In 2011, Emirates became the first foreign airline to serve Germany with a scheduled A380 flight to Munich. The aircraft also land regularly in Hamburg.

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