Emirates, a global connector of people and economies, will grow its services to and from Milan with the upgrade of one of its daily Boeing 777-300 services to an A380 from Dec. 1. This will be the first permanently scheduled A380 service to Milan Malpensa Airport.

Bringing the A380 onto one of Emirates’ three daily Milan services will mean an increase in capacity of almost 38 percent. The triple-daily service connecting Dubai to Milan is currently operated with a mix of Boeing 777-300 and 777-300ER aircraft. One of these services continues onward to New York.

Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ EVP and chief commercial officer, said: “Introducing the Emirates flagship A380 service underscores our commitment to further developing the economic and tourism potential of Italy’s regions and cities. We continue to support the Lombardy region as well as the Italian economy primarily by bringing in tourists and business travelers from both mature and emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. With Milan Expo 2015 closely approaching, over 20 million visitors are expected to visit the city and more than 3 million visitors will travel to Milan from international destinations, and we are well placed to cater to the upward demand within that period and beyond.”

Roberto Maroni, president of the Lombardy Region said: "I am pleased that Emirates is continuing to invest in Malpensa. The airline is strategically working toward supporting Expo 2015, when Lombardy will welcome millions of visitors from all over the world.”

Milan Mayor Giuliano Pisapia said: "The permanent arrival of the A380, the largest aircraft in the world, to Malpensa, is a big boost of confidence that Emirates has given the airport.”

Pietro Modiano, SEA president, commented: "We are very enthusiastic to welcome the Emirates A380 to Milan Malpensa on one of the airline’s three daily flights from Dubai.”