Vienna Airport was a place of celebration Wednesday as Emirates’ milestone 80th A380 aircraft made a star appearance, flying in direct from the Airbus production facility in Hamburg.
Austrian dignitaries, officials, VIPs and media attending an invitation-only event at the airport were the first non-operational people to set foot inside this new, state-of-the-art aircraft since it arrived in Vienna Tuesday.
Guests toured the aircraft for a glimpse of the interior, which will be part of the A380 experience Austrian travelers will be able to enjoy from July 1, when Emirates becomes the first airline to operate a scheduled A380 service into Vienna.
Preparations have been under way for many months in readiness for the start of operations. Vienna Airport has embarked on a long-term project that includes changes to the apron infrastructure, investments in aircraft handling equipment, gate and boarding facilities, and airside terminal areas to ensure passengers have a smooth transition through the airport and onto the aircraft.
This special one-off visit by the 80th A380, captained by Austrian national Florian Ragg, was the final stage in this detailed planning.
Its mission was to test technical procedures like pier docking, movement of the aircraft on the apron into its correct parking position, specialized aircraft cleaning inside and out and the loading and unloading of catering and baggage.
Emirates is serving the Vienna-Dubai route from 2004 and since then has carried almost three million passengers on its double daily service. By deploying the A380, which has a capacity to seat 519 passengers, the airline will now be able to carry over 1,700 passengers between Dubai and Vienna every day.
Emirates’ 14 weekly frequencies support close to 1,800 full-time jobs in Austria, generating economic impact on the national GDP worth approximately 179 million euros a year.
Austrian dignitaries, officials, VIPs and media attending an invitation-only event at the airport were the first non-operational people to set foot inside this new, state-of-the-art aircraft since it arrived in Vienna Tuesday.
Guests toured the aircraft for a glimpse of the interior, which will be part of the A380 experience Austrian travelers will be able to enjoy from July 1, when Emirates becomes the first airline to operate a scheduled A380 service into Vienna.
Preparations have been under way for many months in readiness for the start of operations. Vienna Airport has embarked on a long-term project that includes changes to the apron infrastructure, investments in aircraft handling equipment, gate and boarding facilities, and airside terminal areas to ensure passengers have a smooth transition through the airport and onto the aircraft.
This special one-off visit by the 80th A380, captained by Austrian national Florian Ragg, was the final stage in this detailed planning.
Its mission was to test technical procedures like pier docking, movement of the aircraft on the apron into its correct parking position, specialized aircraft cleaning inside and out and the loading and unloading of catering and baggage.
Emirates is serving the Vienna-Dubai route from 2004 and since then has carried almost three million passengers on its double daily service. By deploying the A380, which has a capacity to seat 519 passengers, the airline will now be able to carry over 1,700 passengers between Dubai and Vienna every day.
Emirates’ 14 weekly frequencies support close to 1,800 full-time jobs in Austria, generating economic impact on the national GDP worth approximately 179 million euros a year.
