Emirates A380 Returns to London, Paris
In a tweet this morning, Emirates (EK) announced the airline would return its A380 service to London (LHR) and Paris (CDG) starting July 15. The announcement comes as Europe begins easing international travel restrictions and provide Europeans somewhat of a post-pandemic summer getaway.
The iconic Emirates Airbus A380 will return to the skies with flights to London Heathrow and Paris starting from 15 July. Emirates hadn’t used its A380 since March when the UAE halted all passenger travel and has since relied on its Boeing 777 fleet to operate cargo flights with passenger aircraft. Emirates had all 114 A380 on the ground, about half of the world’s A380 fleet, and up to 90% of its fleet grounded: EK currently has the most Boeing 777 and A380 out of any carrier worldwide.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, EK was able to record its 32nd consecutive year of profit. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO of the Emirates Group, said in a statement “For the first 11 months of 2019-20, Emirates and dnata were performing strongly… However, from mid-February things changed rapidly as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, causing a sudden and tremendous drop in demand for international air travel…”
In its 2019-20 Annual Report, EK posted a profit of US$456m for the fiscal year ending March 31, down 28% from the year before. The airline has not declared a dividend for this fiscal year.
Since travel restrictions have eased worldwide, EK has continued to utilize the Boeing 777, now flying passengers to Brisbane, Perth, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Seoul, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, New York (JFK), Dublin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Zurich, Manchester, and Bahrain.The London and Paris flights will be the first A380 missions for Emirates since the pandemic. The news comes during a time of retirement and decline of the quad-jet, so it seems Emirates won’t be parting ways with the A380 anytime soon.