Emirates Launches Second Daily A380 To London Gatwick

Emirates has added a second daily A380 service to London Gatwick Airport – on the day it received its 60th A380 – upgrading a service previously operated by a Boeing 777 on the back of strong demand.

EK15 departs Dubai International Airport at 0800s and arrives in London Gatwick at 1230 and the outbound flight, EK16, departs Gatwick at 1425 and arrives in Dubai at 0025.

Deploying a second three-class superjumbo is not only good for Emirates, providing an additional 318 seats a day, but also raises Gatwick’s profile amid ongoing discussions on whether to expand runway capacity at Heathrow or London’s second airport. Emirates’ increased presence bolsters Gatwick’s connectivity, historically one of its weaknesses compared with Heathrow.

Stewart Wingate, CEO, London Gatwick, said: “With the world’s busiest single runaway and a constant flow of passengers from London’s South East, it is important that we offer travellers the best possible connections to worldwide destinations and the new Emirates A380 service allows us to do just that.”

For Emirates, the capacity jump enables it to target more trade between London and West Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Far East, as well as holidaymakers, with the imminent start of the UK summer. Journeys on the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station in central London take 30 minutes, only 15 more than the Heathrow Express into Paddington.