EMIRATES, THE WORLD'S BEST AIRLINE, CELEBRATES 5 YEARS OF FLYING A380!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
EMIRATES HAS BEEN FLYING A380 FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS WHICH PROVES TO BE WISE AS THE DREAMLINER HAS BEEN SUFFERING FROM OVERHEATED BATTERIES!

While Dreamliners by Boeing suffered the great humilation and massive embarrassment of being grounded for months, the A380 by Airbus continues to fly higher!

Congratulations, Emirates!



This is what I call a fleet of super planes!

Emirates boasts of the best onboard service and amenities and has long overtaken Singapore Airlines which used to be number one but has since been dethroned.

Emirates’ A380 Cruises into 5th Anniversary 

*Emirates partners with Google to launch the world’s first Street View of an Airbus A380 

*Special 5th anniversary infographic attached 

 Emirates has carried more than 18 million passengers on its double decker A380 as the airline marks the fifth anniversary of the aircraft joining its fleet. 

It was the 1st August 2008 when Emirates operated its first scheduled Airbus A380 flight to New York. Now, the airline flies to 21 A380 destinations including London Heathrow, Rome, Moscow, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Auckland.  

Over 7,000 cabin crew support a world-renowned fleet of 35 A380s, along with nearly 670 flight deck crew.  

Over the five years of operation, over 35 million meals have been served during 20,000 trips, spanning 265 million kilometres. In all, 37 airports have been visited, either for scheduled flights, one off special appearances or because of diversions.  

“Five swift years have gone by since Emirates changed the face of air travel with this remarkable aircraft,” said Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline. “Its popularity is now firmly rooted across our six continent network, while our customers continue to enthuse about our onboard product; the overall quietness of this huge aircraft, a unique sense of spaciousness in Economy Class, mini-pod lie-flat seats in Business Class and the sanctuary of Private Suites in First Class with access to two Onboard Shower Spas.” 

Kavin Martinus, Country Manager, Emirates Malaysia, said, “This exciting milestone further reiterates Emirates’ commitment to innovation and excellence through its in-flight product offerings which are truly in a class of its own. Locally, Emirates had made its mark by becoming the very first airline to operate an A380 service into Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). Emirates looks forward to many years ahead for the A380 and serving the dynamic Malaysian market which has been and will continue to play an important part in the Emirates A380 story.” 

To commemorate the fifth anniversary, Emirates is offering special fares wherein passengers can enjoy an attractive all-inclusive fare from Kuala Lumpur to Dubai at only RM2208.*

The main talking point amongst those who have flown on the upper deck of the A380 is the Onboard Lounge, where Business Class and First Class travellers can exchange tales and talk business over a drink at 40,000 feet. All Emirates’ A380s are fitted with WiFi, allowing full connectivity with the ground.    

In January 2013, Emirates opened Concourse A, the dedicated home of its A380 fleet and the world’s first purpose-built facility for the aircraft at Dubai International. The concourse, part of Terminal 3, comprises 20 A380-capable contact gates, as well as Emirates’ flagship First Class and Business Class lounges, the largest in the world.  

The A380’s longest non-stop route on the Emirates’ network is Dubai to New York, covering 11,023 kilometres during a flight of 13 hours and 26 minutes. The shortest A380 route is between Hong Kong and Bangkok – a distance of 1,900 kilometres with a flying time of two hours 20 minutes. 

Some of the more quirky statistics are that since August 2008, 14 million bread rolls have been loaded onto Emirates’ A380 flights leaving Dubai, along with more than 157,000 fresh flower displays, 538,500 baby food jars, over 1 million toothbrushes and more than 4 million teabags.**  

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the A380. In addition to its 35-strong fleet, the airline has a further 55 A380s on order.  

The full list of A380 destinations is: Dubai, Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Manchester, Melbourne, Moscow, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney and Toronto.  

In the coming months, the A380 route network will be extended to Brisbane (1^st October), Los Angeles (2^nd December), Mauritius (16^th December) and Zurich from 1^st January 2014. 

Coinciding with the 5th anniversary milestone, Emirates has partnered with Google to launch the world’s first Street View of an A380, the world’s largest commercial jet aircraft. Explore online the Emirates A380’s luxurious First Class Private Suites, expansive Business Class cabin, Onboard Lounges, Shower Spas, cockpit and more on Street View. You can take a stunning, 360-degree virtual journey of the iconic double-decker by clicking here. 

*Terms and conditions apply

Five years of the Emirates’ A380 - quirky facts** 

Bread rolls loaded: 14,000,000

Fresh fruit baskets: 22,438

Fresh flower displays: 157,062

Caviar tins (30 grammes): 210,477 (6,314 kilogrammes)

Shaving kits: 224,414

Toothbrushes: 1,009,767

Cornflake packs: 516,061

Coffee packs: 2,153,988

Teabags: 4,375,237

Sugar packs: 6,731,580

Baby food jars: 538,500

*Figures refer to items loaded aboard Emirates’ A380s departing Dubai only. This does not include items loaded overseas. 

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About Emirates and Malaysia:

Emirates (www.emirates.com/my), one of the fastest growing international airlines, connects Kuala Lumpur to its Dubai hub with 28 weekly flights. Serving 134 destinations in 76 countries, Emirates operates 201 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft including the world’s largest fleet of A380s. Emirates’ partnership with Malaysia began in October 1996 when it launched flights to Kuala Lumpur and it stimulates trade between the country and points across its network. Emirates has a weekly cargo capacity of 364 tonnes each way in the belly-hold of the passenger aircraft serving the route. Apart from achieving significant growth in the Malaysian market with four frequency increases within the last four years, Emirates also marked a historical milestone in Malaysia on January 1st, 2012 by becoming the first airline to operate a scheduled Airbus A380 service into KLIA. Emirates has also been the Official Airline of the Maybank Malaysian Open, a prestigious golfing event, for eight consecutive years.