Perth has been named as Emirates’ 34th Airbus A380 destination, with the Dubai-based carrier to add the West Australian capital to its growing network featuring the double decker superjumbo from May 2015.
Emirates said it would swap one of its three daily flights to Perth from the Boeing 777-300ER to the A380 from May 1, which would add an extra 1,834 seats on the route each week.
The airline was the first to schedule the world’s largest passenger aircraft to Perth. Emirates already deploys the A380 to three Australian ports – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – as well as Auckland in New Zealand.
Emirates divisional senior vice president of commercial operations east Barry Brown said the decision to use the A380 to Perth was indicative of the strategic importance of the Australian market.
“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,” Brown said in a statement on Tuesday.
Emirates, which has formed a global alliance with Qantas, currently has 56 A380s in its fleet and 84 on order.
Perth Airport said in its 2014 Master Plan two A380-capable gates were completed in late 2013.
