Emirates welcomes 25th Airbus A380

Dubai-based Emirates, in a perfect example of its position as one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has taken delivery of its 24th and 25th Airbus A380 and its 78th Boeing 777-300.
The aircraft will be immediately put into service across Emirates network of 126 destinations in 74 countries, supporting Emirates planned expansion of its network and flights.
The delivery of three wide-body aircraft in one day, a record for Emirates, required careful review and advance preparation within all operational units to ensure the availability of the required flight crew, cabin crew, engineers, airport staff in time to ensure a smooth entry into service.
“With its large capacity and excellent operating economics, the A380 is one of the pillars of Emirates’ future growth. Our A380s are specifically deployed on high-density routes where extra capacity is needed and have been well received by passengers,” said Adel Al-Redha, Emirates EVP-engineering and operations.
The jubilee Emirates A380 aircraft was handed over to the Emirates aircraft acceptance team by Michael Pflaum, Airbus Head of A380 delivery in Hamburg, during a delivery ceremony at the planemaker’s Jurgen Thomas A380 Delivery Center. With 25 A380 aircraft now in its fleet, growing to 31 by the end of 2012, Emirates is the largest A380 operator worldwide and with 90 jets on firm order by far the largest A380 customer.
The Dubai-based carrier was the first airline to order the A380 and thus enabled Airbus to proceed with the program.
“The delivery of our 25th A380 is an exciting moment for all of us at Emirates,” said Captain Abbas Shaban, Emirates’ chief pilot for the A380s.