LONDON – Last week saw Emirates debut the Airbus A380 in Bengaluru, India, ahead of a major expansion out of the airport being taken out by the airline.
EK562 touched down in Bengaluru and was greeted with a procession of follow-me vehicles ahead of the airline’s planned service launch of the A380 in the airport on October 30.
This service will operate on a daily basis, which highlights the level of demand for the service to Dubai from the Indian city.
Executive Comments…
Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy & Development Officer at BIAL, said, “Bengaluru has become the first city in South India to be served by Emirates’ flagship A380 services.”
“The arrival of this wide-body aircraft today shows the operational capability and rising passenger demand at BLR Airport.”
“The enhanced premium experience that the new A380 service brings to the Dubai-Bengaluru route will not only meet the strong travel demand but also help to stimulate traffic between the two markets.”
Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates, said: “The special relationship that we share with Bengaluru and the State of Karnataka is one of mutual growth and prosperity, and we are delighted to introduce A380 services to this vital gateway for travelers in South India.”
“Today’s flight is a testament to the fruitful relationship that we share with the city, and we look forward to providing the flagship experience across all cabins for travelers traveling to and from Bengaluru when we begin our scheduled daily A380 services later this month.
“India is a vast market with high demand for our services to destinations across our network, and we are especially pleased to extend our A380 offering to include an additional point in the country.”
Service Information…
Starting on 30 October, Emirates’ A380 flights between Dubai and Bengaluru will operate as EK568 and EK569. The daily flight leaves the airline’s hub at 21:25hrs, arriving in Bengaluru at 02:30hrs local time the next day.
The return flight departs Kempegowda International Airport at 04:30hrs, arriving in Dubai at 07:10hrs (local time). Emirates also operates two additional daily flights utilizing its other widebody aircraft, the Boeing 777.
Currently, Emirates operates the A380 to over 30 destinations across the globe and plans to deploy the popular aircraft to over 40 destinations by March 2023.
The debuting flight into Bengaluru carried 224 passengers on its first flight.
Overall…
It remains clear that the Emirates A380 is going to make a major comeback, especially as demand for air travel slowly creeps up in percentage to that of pre-COVID travel.
For a high-dense route like Bengaluru, it does make sense that Emirates is putting its largest equipment on offer, especially if it means securing as much revenue as possible.
This service will go hand-in-hand with the United Arab Emirates’ overall strategy towards encouraging further tourism into the region, and in high volumes too.
