Emirates strengthens NZ-London A380 connections

Emirates strengthens NZ-London A380 connections

New Zealand travellers now have the option of direct connections at Dubai in each direction with Emirates A380 services to both London-Heathrow and London-Gatwick following the launch of the airline’s second daily A380 service to Gatwick.

Other routes on which Emirates offers A380 service all the way from Auckland with direct connections in Dubai include Manchester, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich. During 2015, Dusseldorf, Madrid and Copenhagen will be added to the A380 destinations available with direct connections at Dubai.

Emirates has three A380 services daily to and from Auckland and Christchurch passengers can connect with an A380 service at Sydney to Dubai and beyond.

Due to passenger demand, Emirates has taken the decision to immediately upgrade its EK15/16 Gatwick route that was previously operated by a Boeing 777. The A380 will add a total of 318 seats per day increasing capacity in all three classes by 11.5 percent. Over 330,000 customers have already flown with the A380 to and from London Gatwick since the aircraft was first deployed in March 2014.

Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West, commented: “We are constantly seeking ways to enhance our services to meet passenger expectations. Demand for the A380 has prompted us to introduce a second daily A380 service to London Gatwick, months ahead of schedule. This strengthens our bid to provide both holidaymakers and business travellers with a world-class travel experience whilst ensuring better seat availability from one of the busiest airports in the UK.’’

Leisure travellers in particular will benefit from the additional capacity, which has been introduced well in time for the UK summer.

London Gatwick Airport offers excellent connections to the South East and central London – in fact with the Gatwick Express travellers can conveniently reach London Victoria station in only 30 minutes.

Emirates’ First Class, Business Class and Skywards Platinum and Gold members will also benefit from access to the largest lounge on the Emirates network located at London Gatwick Airport.

The Emirates A380 offers spacious seating in Economy Class, access to the world’s only onboard Shower Spas for First Class passengers and the Onboard Lounge where First Class and Business Class passengers can socialise at 40,000 feet. Passengers throughout all classes can also enjoy access to over 2,000 channels of films, TV shows, music and games through ice, the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system as well as free wifi connectivity and gourmet cuisine.

As with all Emirates flights, passengers will benefit from a generous baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy Class, 40kg in Business Class and 50kg in First Class.

Meanwhile, Emirates has announced a US$9.2 billion deal with Rolls-Royce for Trent 900 engines and a long-term TotalCare package. The engines will be used to power 50 Airbus A380s ordered at the Dubai Air Show in 2013, which will begin entering service in 2016. The A380 programme sits at the heart of Emirates’ growth strategy. Sixty A380s are currently in operation, with a further 80 on order, making Emirates by far the largest purchaser of the aircraft.

ENDS

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