Emirates to operate one-off A380 flight to Chicago

Emirates will fly one of its flagship A380 aircraft into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on July 19.
Claiming this as the first time in the airport’s history, Emirates stated that it has been invited by O’Hare International Airport, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and the City of Chicago to test the gate, operations and significant infrastructure improvements that have been implemented to accommodate A380 service.
Emirates, described as the world’s largest operator of A380 aircraft, the world’s largest commercial jet, has 81 of this aircraft type flying customers across the globe, including four US cities.
“Chicago has welcomed us from the day Emirates commenced daily flights from Dubai in 2014, and we are honored to work alongside the city, airport and department of aviation to bring the A380 for a test flight to this exciting and progressive city,” said Rob Gurney, Emirates’ SVP of the Americas.
“Over the last two years, Emirates flights have carried over 160,000 passengers from Chicago to Dubai and beyond for both business and leisure travel and have carried more than 60,000 tons of cargo, supporting tourism, business and exporters.
Many of our customers from Chicago and surrounding areas have already experienced the Emirates A380 seamless and convenient connections from our hub in Dubai to more than 40 destinations across our network, including the Middle East, South Asia and the Far East.”
“The arrival of Emirates’ A380 plane to O’Hare International Airport is exciting for the city of Chicago,” said CDA Commissioner Ginger S. Evans. “The improvement we’ve made at O’Hare to accommodate the A380 is one of many projects under way.”
Emirates’ existing Boeing 777 service to Chicago provides $383 million in annual economic benefit, contributes over $153 million in annual spending by visitors, and helps to support over 3,000 US jobs, according to Campbell-Hill Aviation Group.