Emirates Increases Operations in Australia

Emirates has announced that it will expand its operations in Australia by upgrading its second daily flight, EK430/431, between Dubai and Brisbane to an A380 on 1 October, as well as introducing a second daily service between Dubai and Perth to a Boeing 777-300ER on 1 December 2024. 

Emirates’ second A380 aircraft, EK430, will depart Dubai at 0230hrs and arrive in Brisbane at 2220hrs beginning 1 October. Emirates’ return flight, EK431, will depart Brisbane at 0155hrs and arrive in Dubai at 1005hrs. All timings are local. 

Emirates will operate the additional flight to Perth with a Boeing 777-300ER. Starting 1 December, Emirates flight EK424 will depart Dubai at 0915hrs and arrive in Perth at 0005hrs the following day. Emirates’ return aircraft, EK425, will depart Perth at 0600hrs and arrive in Dubai at 1310. All timings are local. 

Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia at Emirates, said, “We’re pleased to offer more choices and opportunities for Australians travelling from Brisbane and Perth through the ramp-up of our operations. It demonstrates the importance of both gateways for tourism and trade and Emirates’ commitment to ensure convenient schedules and comfortable connections to and through Dubai. Whether it’s the advantage of seamless afternoon connections from Dubai to a wealth of destinations across Europe on the second Perth flight or a full A380 experience to and from Brisbane to close to 50 cities served by our flagship, we’re creating access to diverse opportunities for business, leisure, culture, and more.  

“The ramp-up is also a testament to our commitment to enhancing global connectivity to our Australian gateways and supporting tourism and trade growth opportunities.” 

Emirates will increase weekly capacity to Australia by 6,900 seats thanks to upgraded A380 operations to Brisbane and the resumption of its second service to Perth, meeting the growing demand for international travel through Dubai and beyond to the airline’s global network of over 140 destinations. This also provides convenient air connections for export and import shipments, which benefits Australian businesses and specialist sectors.  

Emirates’ second daily flight between Dubai and Perth will increase connections to the airline’s gateways in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, providing smoother and more convenient alternatives for passengers. Customers flying from Brisbane to major destinations such as the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt would benefit from the increased seat capacity provided by the airline’s double daily A380 services.   

Emirates’ second Brisbane flight, EK430/431, on the Boeing 777-300ER, which begins in June 2023, is made possible by the Queensland government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund. The additional flight was estimated to add 129,210 seats, including 38,610 passengers to Queensland, and create $75 million in overnight visitor expenditure each year. Thanks to this funding, Emirates can now expand its service to the A380, bringing further travel and business opportunities to Queensland.

Emirates currently operates 63 weekly flights to Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne, using a combination of A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft to ferry 56,000 passengers to and from these major cities. The airline has announced that it will double its Premium Economy offerings on flights to Melbourne beginning 1 February in addition to the two daily four-class A380 services to Sydney.