Emirates Airbus A380 heads to Melbourne and Auckland

Emirates, the world’s fastest growing airline, is continuing its commitment to both Australia and New Zealand with the start of its daily Airbus A380 nonstop service to Melbourne and on to Auckland.
On board the inaugural flight was Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ SVP, commercial operations Far East & Australasia; John Butler, commissioner to the MENA, government of Victoria; and the Emirates Melbourne Cup, accompanied by the 1999 Cup winning jockey John Marshall.
“The introduction of the A380 increases Melbourne’s capacity on the Dubai and Auckland sectors by more than 500 seats per day, which will further stimulate tourism and trade between the UAE, our global network, Australia and New Zealand,” said Obaidalla.
“The A380 is an exceptional aircraft and has been in the pipeline for the Melbourne market for a few years. Today’s launch kick starts an exciting period of growth in our Australian business, from November 1 we launch nonstop flights to Adelaide and from 1st December introduce a third daily flight to Perth,” he added.
“Emirates A380 services to Melbourne and Auckland are a key component to the Global Aviation Partnership announced with Qantas in September.
Pending regulatory approval, from April 2013 Melbourne travelers will experience seamless connectivity across the Emirates and Qantas networks, exclusive frequent flyer benefits and the choice of four daily services to Dubai — two of which will be non-stop A380 services — connecting to over 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa,’ said Obaidalla.
Emirates currently has 25 A380s in service, which now fly to Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Melbourne, Manchester, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Toronto, Tokyo from its Dubai Hub.
Additional A380 destinations that are set to launch this year include Singapore and Moscow, both from Dec. 1).