Emirates to deploy A380 on Moscow route

Dubai airline Emirates will deploy a jumbo A380 aircraft on its daily Moscow route from December 1, 2016 to meet increasing demand, it announced on Tuesday.

One of Emirates’ two daily flights servicing the Dubai-Moscow route will be upgraded to an A380-800, it said. The service is currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The airline said it has carried almost 3.5 million passengers on the route since it launched flights to Moscow in 2003.

Over the past 12 months, demand has increased, with some 400,000 passengers having travelled on the route.

“The increased level of passenger support and demand has led to Emirates’ decision to bring its A380 to the Russian capital,” it added.

Flights EK131/EK132 will now be operated by an A380-800, increasing the number of seats on the route by 23 per cent. The flight will depart from Dubai at 17:30hrs and arrive in Moscow at 21:55hrs with the return flight departing from Moscow at 23:55hrs and arriving in Dubai at 06:20hrs next day.

Also read: Emirates to introduce A380 on world’s longest flight

The three-class A380-800 will offer 516 seats in total, including 14 private suites in first class, 76 fully flat-beds in business class on the upper deck and an additional 426 seats in economy.

It will also provide onboard shower spas for first class passengers and a lounge for first and business class guests.

“Operating a higher capacity aircraft helps serve the growing demand from both leisure and business travellers,” the airline said.

In March this year, Emirates announced an extended codeshare agreement with Moscow-based S7 Airlines on more than 30 Russian routes.

The extended partnership also created a direct link under Emirates’ code between St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A380s and has ordered 142 jets with 77 already in operation. It flies the aircraft to 40 destinations worldwide.

Also read: Investec closes $1bn A380 aircraft deal with Emirates