Emirates Will To Back The Airbus A380 To Australia

According to Executive Traveller, Emirates plans to resume its flights to Australia with Airbus A380s following the country’s return of international travel.

The superjumbo is already pencilled in for Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth on the Gulf carrier’s 2022 forwards schedule, with a Boeing 777 earmarked for Brisbane.

The Sydney-Christchurch leg of EK412/EK413 is also returning, which will please savvy frequent travellers who love spending the three-hour trip over the pond as an indulgent frolic in Emirates’ A380 business class or even first class.

“As borders reopen, we look forwards to restoring our Australian flight schedules, including our popular A380 services, and to welcoming customers to experience our best-in-class partnership for many more years to come,” Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said on Monday, after signing a five-year extension agreement with Qantas.

The Airbus A380, as Emirates’ flagship, is perfectly adapted to the marathon between Australia and its Dubai hub — flights that can take 11-14 hours, before connecting to Emirates’ services to the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Although the airline’s two-class 615-seat superjumbo is destined for destinations with little demand for a premium experience, Australia will continue to see its ‘traditional’ three-class A380s with 14 first-class suites (and two private showers) and 76 flat-bed business class seats.

There’s no word yet on whether or not Emirates’ new premium economy seats will be offered in Sydney, Melbourne, or Perth on the A380’s more recent four-class configuration.

In addition to the classic cocktail bar on the top deck, every Emirates A380 has a newer version of the bar that debuted in 2008.

Additionally, the look and feel will be more refined thanks to the use of ivory and (appropriately) champagne as the primary colours, with accents of bronze and woodgrain in place of black.

Cafe-style tables with views of the window have been added to the seating, and other spaces have been opened to encourage socialising.

A trip that began in 1996 with three weekly flights between Dubai and Melbourne and peaked at over one hundred flights per week to Australia prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. The 25th anniversary was commemorated by Emirates this year.

By Joe Cusmano