Emirates, Etihad introduce A380s on flights to France

UAE airlines Emirates and Etihad introduced the Airbus A380 jet on routes to France on Saturday.

Emirates operated its inaugural A380 service to Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport on Saturday, replacing the existing Boeing 777-300ER used on the route.

The double-decked A380 will “serve the strong customer demand” on the route, the airline said.

Flight EK077 departs Dubai at 8.45am daily, arriving in Nice at 1.40pm. The return flight EK078 departs Nice at 3.40pm, arriving in Dubai at 12.10am the next day.

With the addition of Nice, Emirates now flies the A380 to 47 destinations worldwide.

Emirates – the world’s largest A380 operator with 95 aircraft in its fleet and a further 47 on order – has flown over 80 million passengers on the aircraft since 2008.

Meanwhile Abu Dhabi airline Etihad Airways also introduced the A380 aircraft on one of its two daily services to Paris.

The new service has been introduced early to meet seasonal demand from July 1 to October 28 and December 15 to February 15, 2018, the airline said in a statement.

The A380 will operate a regular year-round service from March 25, 2018.

The jumbo jet replaces a three-class Boeing 777-300ER previously operating the airline’s daily overnight service to the French capital.

The A380 will be used for flight EY31, which leaves Abu Dhabi at 2.15am and arrives at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7.50am. Return flight EY32 will depart from Paris at 10.40am and land in the UAE capital at 7.30pm.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways executive vice president Commercial, said: “Paris is one of Etihad Airways’ most sought-after destinations, popular with both leisure and business flyers alike.

“Paris is a city loved by all of us in the UAE. We have also seen an increase in the number of French visitors we are welcoming to Abu Dhabi.”

Etihad Airways also operates a dedicated premium lounge at Charles de Gaulle.