Emirates to go all A380 to Sydney by November and plans a return to Adelaide

Zurich, Switzerland - June 18, 2017: Airbus A380 of Emirates Airline approaching Zurich airport. Emirates is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 3,600 flights per week from its hub at Dubai International Airport, to more than 140 cities in 81 countries across six continents.
Edited by Travel Weekly


    Further building on its commitment to provide customers expanded access to its route network, Emirates has announced that it will be upgrading its services to Sydney to an all-A380 operation.

    With all three of Emirates’ slots already in use at Sydney airport, the airline is able to commit nearly 2,000 extra weekly seats with the upgrade to its double-decker aircraft on its third daily flight, starting 4 November 2023.

    The Emirates A380 service, set in a three class configuration offering 489 seats, will replace the Boeing 777-300ER currently being deployed on EK 416 and 417.

    Each return flight adds more than 260 extra daily seats and more connection opportunities to and from Dubai, and global access to popular onwards destinations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The third A380 service will complement the two other Sydney A380 four-class services, which both offer Emirates’ latest Premium Economy cabin.

    Emirates currently operates 63 weekly services to Australia, offering close to 56,000 seats to and from its four major gateways.

    Melbourne and Sydney operate three times daily, Brisbane is served with double daily flights, and the airline also operates its flagship A380 daily to Perth. Emirates has also reintroduced services from Melbourne to Singapore, in addition to connecting Sydney with Christchurch, offering travellers the only A380 experience across the Trans-Tasman.

    Return to Adelaide

    The introduction of the Emirates Airbus A350 in the winter of 2024 will facilitate further expansion of the airline’s global network by allowing its fleet to grow and freeing up more of Emirates’ long-range aircraft to serve points like Adelaide.

    The airline is in close discussions with Adelaide Airport to recommence nonstop services as part of its commitment to reconnect travellers from every corner of Australia to its network.

    Barry Brown, Emirates Divisional Vice President Australasia said: “With the triple daily A380 service, Emirates continues to connect Australians to Dubai and onwards to a wealth of iconic destinations. Emirates’ addition of nonstop services to Adelaide is in lockstep with our commitment to Australia to expand and improve connectivity options for travellers. We can’t wait to be back in Adelaide and once again play a key role in South Australians’ international travel plans.”

    He continued: “We’re very close to resuming our full schedule of pre-pandemic non-stop services and we’re working hard to match capacity with demand as more aircraft roll back into service. There has been a lot of discussion around airfares in Australia in relation to shortfall of capacity, which is only one of several factors that impact ticket prices.

    Similar to many other sectors, across the aviation industry our highest operating expenses have surged. There has been a sharp rise in fuel, ground handling, catering, and workforce costs as we try to attract and retain the right talent.

    Even as more capacity comes back into Australia, airlines, especially those with long-haul services, will continue to face challenges in striking a balance to offset these costs where possible.

    In spite of these challenges, we’re committed to strengthening our schedules as much as we can, and offering the essential connectivity that Australian travellers have come to know and expect of us.”

    The third Sydney A380 flight will depart from Dubai at 2130hrs, arriving in Sydney at 1820hrs local time. The returning flight departs Sydney at 2110hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0430hrs local time.

    Emirates continues to expand the deployment of its flagship A380 to meet ever increasing travel demand globally. Today, the airline flies its flagship A380 to over 50 destinations, with more cities set to welcome the aircraft in the coming months.

    Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

    a380 emirates

    Latest News

    • Aviation

    Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

    It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

    • Attractions

    SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

    AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

    • Cruise

    Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

    Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

    • Technology
    • Travel Agents

    Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

    Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]