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Emirates’ flagship A380 to return to Perth’s skies from 1 December

Emirates’ A380 return comes as airline celebrates 20 years of serving Perth, carrying close to 6 million passengers since 2002

Emirates will reintroduce its flagship A380 to Perth from December 1 as part of the airline’s ramp up of services to Australia.

The upgauge will increase the airline's 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," according to a statement issued by the Emirates on Monday.

The upgauge comes as Emirates proudly celebrates 20 years of serving the skies and communities of Perth, offering unparalleled connectivity to Dubai and across its global network.

In addition to its Perth services, Emirates also operates twice daily A380 services from Dubai to Melbourne and Sydney, and once daily service from Dubai to Brisbane.

20 years of flying to Perth

Since its inaugural flight to Perth back in August 2002, Emirates has flown close to six 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 also been a longstanding supporter of arts, cultural and sporting institutions during this period in Western Australia, with investments across a number of initiatives.

The airline’s cargo arm, Emirates SkyCargo, has also been an important contributor to the local economy, exporting meat, fruit and vegetables and mining equipment across the airline’s global route network including the Middle East, Europe and beyond.

The demand for travel

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.

Many Emirates passengers are taking advantage of stopover travel, with the airline seeing a strong increase in the number of passengers who have enjoyed a brief stop in Dubai. Dubai Experience, which launched in April across 20 markets including Australia, helps passengers explore everything about Dubai and the UAE.

Flying with Emirates

Customers of Emirates and Qantas have access to an expansive network of destinations thanks to the codeshare partnership between the two airlines. Together, Emirates and Qantas provide customers access to more than 100 codeshare destinations, including 55 points across Australia and New Zealand. Qantas customers can fly with Emirates to Dubai and access over 50 cities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Emirates remains focused on taking the stress out of travel and has led the industry in protecting the health of its customers. Emirates’ customers travel with the assurance that the latest health and safety measures are in place at every step of the journey.

— business@khaleejtimes.com