Emirates is to make Beijing and Shanghai all- Airbus 380 operations when it replaces Boeing 777-300ERs currently operating its second daily services to each of the cities from July 1.
The move will boost capacity on the routes as the Dubai-based carrier moves to the 519-seat, three-class superjumbos with the aim of picking up more business and leisure traffic in the booming Chinese market.
Emirates has 38 flights to China and also services Guangzhou, Yinchuan and Zhengzhou.
The airline was the first Middle East carrier to fly non-stop to mainland China when it launched freighter operations in 2002.
This was followed by passenger services to Shanghai in 2004 and the first-ever A380 scheduled passenger service to China when it started its Beijing flights in August, 2010.
China Southern now has five A380s but remains the only Chinese carrier to operate the superjumbo.
Passengers like the A380 because it is generally configured by the airlines who operate it as their flagship product.
Emirates is the world’s biggest operator of the plane and has 95 in its fleet with another 47 on order.
It features more comfortable economy seats than the airline’s 10-across B777s as well as a shower in first class and a lounge bar on the upper deck.
The airline says it has flown more than 80 million passengers on its A380 fleet since 2008.
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