Emirates, the world's largest international airline, is set to receive its 100th A380 aircraft on November 3.
More than 80 million passengers have flown the superjumbo in the last nine years, since Emirates first introduced the Airbus A380 to its fleet. Today, Emirates flies the A380 to over 45 destinations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. The Emirates A380 flies anywhere in the world, attracting passengers' demand for the top flight experience it offers in all locations, while boosting local economies, helping to boost tourism and increase visitors.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said: “The A380 has been and continues to be extremely popular with our passengers, many of whom plan their journey to fly with it. However, we do not rest on our laurels and are constantly investing to improve our services so that we can continue to offer our customers a top flight experience. On our frequent itineraries, there have been countless improvements to the boat over the years, from minor updates such as the addition of USB and HDMI ports, as well as major overhaul repairs, such as moving central luggage compartments to create more spacious a cabin on the upper deck as well as the installation of bigger and better entertainment systems ”.
On the ground, Emirates had also worked closely with stakeholders to build a special 380-gate A20 airport runway that offers direct boarding from the airport lounge, as well as one of the world's six most advanced engineering centers. maintenance sheds and the ability to inspect and repair a total of an A380.
With the inaugural flight of the A380 in 2008, Emirates achieved many industry data firsts, presenting for the first time, among others, the iconic A380 Onboard Lounge and the First Class Spa Shower.
The Onboard Lounge remains to this day arguably the most popular spot at 40.000 feet and. It has undergone several successive and subtle changes, such as the introduction of electric blinds, before their brand new appearance was revealed last July.
The latest change in the Onboard Lounge, inspired by private yacht cabins, has a more intimate and comfortable space for up to 26 people. The salon now features a larger 55-inch LCD display with high-quality dolby surround speakers, providing guests with the latest flight information or live TV news and sports updates.
The First Class Shower Spa, which is available exclusively to the 14 passengers traveling in the Emirates First Class Private Suites, continues to impress passengers as much as when it was first introduced. Ever since Emirates took the lead in creating the ultimate spa experience, only one other commercial airline has offered similar in-flight convenience. With almost 100 Airbus A380s in its fleet, it's next to say that if one takes a shower at 40.000 feet, chances are one is in an Emirates A380.
With its many thoughtful design touches, such as heated floor, shower timer, hairdryer and spa products, the Emirates Shower Spa remains the ultimate symbol of luxury. The airline recently introduced the eco-friendly VOYA spa products, as well as a hydration pajamas created exclusively for Emirates, which gives customers the opportunity to reach their destination refreshed.
Entertainment in the air
Emirates' award-winning ice entertainment system is constantly updated to provide customers with more on-demand entertainment options as it enhances the viewing experience. As equipment has become smaller, media capacity has expanded and Emirates now offers more than double the entertainment with 2500 channels of movies, stage TV, music and documentaries.
In addition to these options, Emirates has invested approximately $ 1 billion to provide a more comfortable viewing experience. Over the years, seat screens have become larger in all categories. The screen in the First Class has increased from 27 inches to 32, in the Business Class from 17 to 20 inches, while the screens in the latest A380 aircraft offer the largest screen in Economy Class, at 13,3 inches, from the original 10 screen inches. A few touches have also been added, such as USB ports on each seat as well as HDMI ports in premium classes, for connecting personal devices to the ICE screen.
The entire fleet of A380s also has the ability to offer free 20mb Wi-Fi throughout the cabin. In June last year, the first A380 was equipped with Live TV, allowing passengers to watch news and sporting events live on board.
Since 2008, the A380s have been further upgraded to operate on even longer distances. This allowed Emirates to add more destinations to the A380 network, including the longest A380 flight in the world - a direct Dubai-Auckland flight, launched in March 2016.
Today, the Emirates A380 reaches all corners of the globe with continuous flights from Dubai to Sao Paulo, Casablanca, Copenhagen, Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Emirates also introduced the world's first two-seater A380 in November 2015, making it the world's highest-capacity aircraft with 615 seats on board, while maintaining the airline's services and comfort.
Source: inBusiness