Emirates receives delivery of another Airbus A380

Dubai: Emirates has welcomed MSN A6-EVL, its 116th A380 as the first of three A380 double-deckers to join its fleet in 2020. The aircraft arrived in Dubai on December 5, powered by a blend of conventional jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel.

Emirates is scheduled to receive two more A380 aircraft later this month, one of which will feature its long-awaited signature Premium Economy product.

Since it entered the Emirates fleet 12 years ago, the A380 has been the airline’s flagship and a customer favorite providing an unmatched travel experience. Emirates A380s are best known for their signature elements such as A380 Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “The A380 has been a success story for Emirates, and this is reflected in the strong customer interest wherever we’ve deployed the aircraft over the years. We look forward to introducing our Premium Economy experience on which will make its debut on an A380 in the coming months, and we will continue to invest in our world-class A380 product experience. The A380 will remain our flagship for the next decade, and we will re-deploy it on more routes as travel demand returns.”

The A380 currently flies to Cairo, Amman, Paris, London, Guangzhou, Manchester, and Moscow, and recently services have been ramped up to four daily A380s on London Heathrow and daily flights to Moscow. The double-decker is also demonstrating its versatility by being utilized as a mini-freighter on select cargo charter operations to transport urgently required cargo across the Emirates network.

The delivery flight for the newest member of the Emirates fleet was powered by a blend of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This is the first time the airline is using sustainable aviation fuel to power an A380. The biofuel used for the flight was produced from used cooking oil in Finland.

In addition to operating modern and fuel-efficient aircraft with an average age of 6.5 years, Emirates also has a comprehensive fuel efficiency program that has implemented a range of initiatives including working with air navigation providers on “flex tracks”, or flexible routing that create the most efficient flight plan for each flight.

Emirates also runs a robust fuel monitoring system. On the ground, the airline implements fuel-efficient practices, such as the use of power units that consume less energy, and switching one or two engines off while taxiing in after landing. Other operating initiatives include idle reverse thrust on landing, loading efficiency improvements, aircraft weight management, and the introduction of electronic flight bags for cockpit crew