With parts of Australia edging closer to re-opening, Emirates is preparing to add a lot of capacity to the land down under.
Emirates A380 taking off from London Heathrow – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
In response to the easing of travel restrictions, from the 2nd of November, Emirates is stepping up the frequency on flights EK414/415 between Dubai and Sydney to daily operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.
Flights to Melbourne will operate as a four-weekly service as EK408/409, with the potential to increase in line with demand.
Capacity on flights to Sydney and Melbourne will return to 100%, allowing 354 passengers across all cabins to travel on its flights.
This will allow Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members will be able to enjoy unrestricted travel once again to and from the two points for the first time since the pandemic began, whether travelling abroad to global destinations for leisure or finally travelling home to visit family or friends, as long as they are vaccinated against COVID-19 with a TGA-approved vaccine.
Enter the Double Deckers
Those who have missed the sight of the Emirates Airbus A380 will be happy to see it return to the Australian skies from the 1st December 2021 on the Dubai – Sydney route on a daily basis.
The three-class A380 configuration will be deployed, with 426 seats in Economy Class, 76 in Business Class and 14 seats First Class.
In Quotes
Barry Brown, Emirates Divisional Vice President for Australasia, said:
“We are extremely delighted to once again be able to extend our services to Australians, with the capacity and frequency that they deserve. Passengers will appreciate the return to normality – for vaccinated travellers wishing to go home to Australia, this will mean no more restrictions on capacity and no quarantine on arrival into New South Wales or Victoria, ultimately allowing them to see their families sooner.
“Starting November 1st, Australians will also be able to plan a holiday and travel internationally. Of course that’s good news for us as we are ready to serve those customers with access to our network spanning more than 120 destinations via our hub in Dubai, which is convenient for those considering a stopover to embrace the wonders of Expo 2020 Dubai.”
He added
“We would like to thank our customers for their loyalty as we navigated the challenges together since the start of the pandemic. We are more than ever committed to Australia and it is especially exciting for us to add Sydney to the growing network of destinations served by our popular A380 aircraft. Our customers appreciate the spaciousness and amenities of the flagship A380 and starting in December they will be able to experience the exceptional product when flying to or from Sydney,”
Brisbane and Perth continue under mandates
For those who are pondering heading in and out of either Brisbane and Perth, Emirates will continue to operate flights in line with government–mandated capacity restrictions in place, requiring all passengers to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine until travel restrictions are relaxed in Queensland and Western Australia.
Whilst this isn’t yet a return to pre-pandemic times when multiple A380s plyed the route between Dubai and Australia, it is a start of a return of traffic.
And hopefully, once Australia opens its borders to non-residents, further travel will open up.
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