An Emirates’ A380 will serve Paris from 29th December, one month earlier than planned.
The airline had previously announced that the super-jumbo would head to Paris Charles de Gaulle from 1st February next year, but an operational review, coupled with demand on the route, has led to an earlier introduction.
The 489-seat aircraft will be incorporated into Emirates’ double daily flights to Paris. It will initially service three of the morning departures from Dubai, becoming daily from 17th January 2010.
Earlier this month, Emirates bucked the trend in the aviation industry by posting a sizeable profit increase for its operations in the April-September period of the current financial year.
During this period, the airline announced a profit of Dhs 752 million (U.S.$ 205 million) and, significantly, an 18% increase in passengers.
The growth in passengers and earnings has been mirrored in the French market and has been a major consideration in the earlier introduction of the A380 onto the Paris route.
Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation, said: “Our forward carryings out of France are extremely strong. Coupled with the earlier aircraft availability on that route, it means we can provide passengers with the experience of flying this highly popular aircraft between Dubai and Paris much sooner than originally anticipated. It also provides our passengers with an earlier A380 service all the way through to Sydney, Auckland, Bangkok and, soon, Seoul.”
The A380 serving Paris will have a configuration of 14 Private Suites in First Class, 76 new generation, fully flat seats in Business Class and 399 seats in the Economy cabin.
The A380 departs Dubai at 0800hrs and arrives in Paris at 1225hrs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It leaves Paris at 1430hrs and arrives in Dubai at 2359hrs. First and Business Class passengers can enjoy the luxurious facilities provided by the airline’s dedicated lounges in Paris and Dubai’s Terminal 3, one of the finest airport facilities ever built.
