Emirates To Start A380 Flights To Perth

Emirates will introduce A380 flights to Perth from May 1 next year when one of its three daily flights, a B777-300ER, will be upgraded to superjumbo status.

EK420 will depart Dubai at 0255 and arrive at Perth International Airport at 1735. The return flight, EK421, will depart Perth 2210 and arrive in Dubai the following day at 0525, a flying time of 11 hours 15 minutes.

It will be the fourth point in Australia where the airline will operate an A380, complementing daily flights to Brisbane and Melbourne, and doubly-daily A380s to Sydney (Adelaide is also served on B777s). Together with global partner Qantas, which flies to Dubai from Melbourne and Sydney, seven daily A380 services will operate between Dubai and Australia next May.

Barry Brown, Emirates’ Divisional SVP, Commercial Operations – East, said it will be the first airline to bring the A380 to Perth.

“For business and leisure travellers, the Dubai-Perth route is a popular choice and our new Emirates A380 service will be instrumental in helping the airline meet this growing passenger demand as well as deliver substantial economic benefits through travel connections and inbound seats,” he said.

Competition is rising in and out of Perth with Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways (which partners with Virgin Australia) both operating B777s. Emirates’ growing A380 fleet stands at 56 with 84 more on order.