LONDON – Emirates has announced it will scale up its A380 operations with the iconic double-decker returning to Glasgow (26 March 2023), Nice (1 June 2023) and Birmingham (1 July 2023).
The iconic double-decker A380 aircraft is set to make a return to Glasgow, Scotland on 26 March 2023, and Birmingham in the British Midlands on 1 July 2023.
The carrier will recommence its operation to Nice on 1 June 2023.
At the same time the airline has also announced it will resume its second daily service to Stansted starting from 1 May 2023, utilising its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its renowned ‘Game Changer’ First Class product.
With the return of the second daily flight to Stansted, Emirates will effectively ramp up its operations to London with 11 daily flights, including six times daily to London Heathrow and three times daily to Gatwick.
Progressive network restoration
The airline continues to expand its global network and increase capacity in line with growing travel demand.
Emirates currently deploys its flagship A380 to 40 destinations worldwide. By the end of this summer, the popular aircraft will be serving almost 50 destinations, restoring close to 90% of the airline’s pre-pandemic A380 network.
Emirates is the largest operator of Airbus A380, with more than 80 aircraft currently in active service. The airline first launched A380 operations to Birmingham in 2016; Nice in 2017; and Glasgow in 2019.
A380 refurbishment programme
The first Emirates A380 to be completely refurbished under the airline’s US$ 2 billion retrofit program was deployed earlier this month on the Dubai-London Heathrow service.
The next Emirates A380 aircraft lined up for its make-over is A6-EUW, and work is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
The aircraft features the Premium Economy cabin, and Emirates’ latest cabin interiors including lighter colour palettes in First and Business Class.
As the program progresses, engineers will work simultaneously on 2 aircraft. This means that one aircraft in the fleet will be withdrawn from service every eight days and transferred to Emirates Engineering facilities.
By 2024, all 67 A380s assigned for refurbishment will have returned to service. Emirates will then begin work on its 53 Boeing 777s earmarked for this project. The airline expects to complete the program in 2025.
To deliver the largest known aircraft refurbishment program in aviation history, Emirates recruited 190 new project personnel, and is working with 48 major partners and suppliers who have also hired hundreds of skilled workers.
Teams of engineers and technicians have worked round the clock, taking apart the entire interior of the A380 and refitting the parts again in a carefully planned and tested sequence.
The airline also plans to ramp up its four-class A380 operations featuring Premium Economy cabins to more than 35 destinations across 20 countries by March 2024.
The Emirates A380 is loved by customers for its spacious and comfortable cabins, quietness, and unique on-board features such as the Onboard Lounge and First Class Shower Spa.
Customers can also enjoy award-winning inflight entertainment on ice with more than 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment via the industry’s largest screens across all cabins.
