Emirates has announced it will ramp up its operations in Australia by upgrading its second daily flight EK430/431 between Dubai and Brisbane to an A380 from 1 October, along with adding a second daily service between Dubai and Perth operated by a Boeing 777-300ER starting from 1 December.

From 1 October, Emirates’ second A380 flight EK430 to Brisbane will depart Dubai at 0230hrs, arriving in Brisbane at 2220hrs. Emirates’ return flight EK431 will depart Brisbane at 0155hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1005hrs. All times are local.

The additional flight to Perth will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER. Starting from 1 December, Emirates flight EK424 will depart from Dubai at 0915hrs and arrives in Perth at 0005hrs the following day. Emirates’ return flight EK425 will depart from Perth at 0600hrs and arrives in Dubai at 1310hrs. All times are local.

Barry Brown, divisional VP Australasia at Emirates, commented: “We’re pleased to offer more choice and opportunities for Australians traveling from Brisbane and Perth through the ramp up of our operations. It’s a demonstration of 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 in enhancing global connectivity to our Australian gateways and supporting tourism and trade growth opportunities.”

Emirates A380-861 in Perth (iStock/delectus)

Gert-Jan de Graaff, Brisbane Airport CEO, commented: “The A380 will allow up to 100,000 extra passengers per year to travel between Queensland and Europe, which is Brisbane’s second busiest international destination. Now in its 21st year of serving Brisbane, Emirates is our number one mover of people to and from Europe.

“Importantly, Emirates stands out from the pack as the leading airline in over the bay operations, reducing noise impacts on the local community. More than two-thirds of all overnight Emirates flights have been over Moreton Bay during the period from July to December 2023. We congratulate Emirates on that performance and look forward to continued collaboration across all airlines.”

Western Australian Government Acting Tourism Minister, John Carey, commented: “Today’s announcement represents another important step forward in rebuilding WA’s aviation capacity and further strengthens Perth’s global reputation as the Western Gateway to Australia.

“Securing additional direct aviation services is absolutely vital to driving more travellers to our state, injecting visitor spend into our economy, and creating jobs in the tourism and hospitality industries.

“We’re really proud to have brought back or secured new non-stop flights to 19 global cities since borders reopened, and this is just another vote of confidence in Western Australia as a tourism destination.”

Perth Airport’s chief operating officer, Scott Woodward, commented: “The re-introduction of Emirates’ second daily service is great news as it will add significant capacity into the Perth market. Emirates is an important airline partner for Western Australia and this additional daily service delivers an impressive 250,000 seats per year on this very popular route.

“Not only does the new service mean that there are more options for business and leisure travel, but the increased capacity will lead to many more international visitors coming to Western Australia. The return of this second daily service shows the commitment and confidence that Emirates has in the Western Australian market, and we will be working with the airline to ensure this second service is as popular as its current one.”

Through upgraded A380 operations to Brisbane and the resumption of Emirates’ second service to Perth, the airline will increase weekly capacity to Australia by an additional 6,900 seats.

Emirates currently serves Australia with 63 weekly flights to Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, operated by a mix of A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft transporting 56,000 passengers per week to and from these major cities. The airline has recently announced doubling its Premium Economy offering on flights to Melbourne starting from 1 February, adding to the two daily four-class A380 services to Sydney.

(Featured Image: Emirates A380 – iStock/Jetlinerimages)