From 1 December, Emirates will reintroduce its flagship A380 to Perth as part of the airline’s ramp up of services to Australia. The move will increase Emirates’ seating capacity between its hub Dubai and Perth, with close to 500 seats available on each flight. EK420 from Dubai will depart at 02:45, arriving in Perth at 17:20 the same day while EK421 flight will depart from Perth at 22:20, arriving in Dubai at 05:25 the following day. The daily A380 service will replace the existing daily Boeing 777- 300ER operation between Dubai and Perth.
Barry Brown, Emirates Divisional Vice President Australasia said: “The reintroduction of our flagship A380 aircraft to our Perth services is an important milestone and highlights our longstanding commitment to the Australian market. It comes as we celebrate 20 years of flying to Perth, a destination which has been an important part of our Australian network. It’s exciting to be boosting our services in line with what can only be described as exponential demand. This is in addition to our increased services in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as well as the debut of our Premium Economy product to Australia. It’s a testament to our superior offering and the ongoing support of the Australian people who trust us with their travels.”
Kevin Brown, CEO, Perth Airport said: “Perth Airport is delighted to welcome back Emirates A380 aircraft. Having recently celebrated 20 years flying to Perth, Emirates continues to demonstrate its commitment to the people and businesses of Western Australia. We are seeing strong demand for international travel and the additional seats will certainly be welcomed by our customers looking to reconnect with family and friends, take a well-deserved break or do business across Emirates’ global network.”
Since its inaugural flight to Perth back in August 2002, Emirates has flown close to 6 million passengers between Perth and its Dubai hub, travelling more than 220 million kilometres on over 24,000 flights. Initially starting as a four times weekly service, the airline expanded its Perth operations due to strong demand for travel, the seamless connectivity provided by the airline, coupled with its award-winning product and hospitality. This grew to a daily operation in May 2003 and was followed by the opening of Emirates’ first Perth lounge in February 2006. In recognition of the demand for its premium offering, Emirates introduced its signature First Class Suites in March 2008 which was extended across multiple services. The airline touched down with its flagship A380 for the first time in May 2015, highlighting its ongoing commitment to the market, and putting its customers first with exceptional service and a premium travel experience across all classes.
Emirates has seen a strong increase in passenger bookings to and from Australia with significant demand across all its cabins, particularly following the launch of its Premium Economy which was first introduced on one of its daily Sydney services on 1 August. The European summer has been the biggest driver of demand for Emirates, with European cities making up 8 of its top ten destinations Australians are currently flying to. Topping the list is the UK followed by Italy, France, Greece and Ireland making up the top five. Spain, Lebanon, Germany, The Netherlands and Turkey round out the top 10 destinations.
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