Emirates brings forward final A380 delivery to November

Emirates will receive its last A380 in November, bringing forward from June 2022 the historic final delivery of the Airbus superjumbo. The final delivery will mark the end of an era at manufacturer Airbus and will be one of three delivered to the Dubai-based carrier this year. All three A380s come with the airline’s new premium economy cabin and their delivery will bring Emirates' total fleet of A380s in November to 118, including six four-cabin aircraft.

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said the airline had come to an agreement with  Airbus to bring forward the delivery of the three aircraft and had secured financing for the planes. READ: Qatar Airways Privilege Club offers superb deals READ: Virgin offers a million frequent flyer points in COVID jab jamboree READ: Emirates boosts services as COVID restrictions ease He said the airline would fully launch the “highly sought-after” premium economy cabin in the coming months. “Emirates will continue to be the largest operator of this spacious and modern aircraft for the next two decades, and we’re committed to ensuring that the Emirates A380 experience remains a customer favorite with ongoing investments to enhance our product and services,’’ he said.

The A380 is popular with travelers but has been ditched by some operators in favor of smaller twin-engine planes such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. However, airlines such as Emirates and Qantas still see a place for the big planes on high-density routes and at slot-constrained airports. Qantas announced last week that the A380s would return to its international services ahead of schedule with five planes due to be back flying to London and Los Angeles from mid-2022. READ: A380s to make early return as Qantas reconnects to the world. Both have positioned the superjumbos as flagship products with Emirates including private suites shower spas in first class, a popular onboard bar and lounge and comfortable fully flat seats in business class. By October, the Dubai-based airline expects to have reinstated its A380 operations on over a dozen popular routes between Dubai and: Amman, Cairo, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Manchester, Mauritius, Moscow, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Toronto, Vienna, Washington DC, and Zurich. Emirates’ four-class A380s are currently operating on its London Heathrow and Paris Charles De Gaulle routes.

The airline says the comfortable cream leather-covered Emirates Premium Economy seats with generous legroom, are currently offered as spot upgrades for valued customers on a discretionary basis.