Emirates to bring A380 to D/FW Airport

Emirates Airbus A380 in flight. Courtesy photo

Scott Nishimura snishimura@bizpress.net

Emirates said today it’s the mystery airline that will bring the first scheduled service on the Airbus A380 super jumbo jet to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

The airline, which launched nonstop D/FW-Dubai service in 2012 on the Boeing 777-200LR, said it will switch to the A380 on the route starting Oct. 1. The airline will continue to fly one daily roundtrip nonstop between the airports.

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Emirates will add 220 seats to the route with the switch to the 489-seat double-decked airplane.

“We are bringing our flagship A380 to Dallas/Fort Worth by popular demand,” Hubert Frach, Emirtaes’ divisional senior vice president/commercial operations West, said.

“The D/FW area is at the heart of business, being home to 18 Fortune 500 companies. It is also home to a diverse population and the largest urban arts district in the U.S, and is the established No. 1. leisure destination in Texas,” he said. “With the A380, we are not only bringing our flagship product to serve our leisure and business customers, but also demonstrating our commitment and confidence in the economic and tourism potential of the region.”

The D/FW board earlier this year said an unidenified airline planned to bring the airplane to the airport, when it authorized the money to build a second level jet bridge at the international Terminal D and modifications to the airfield, ramps and taxiways.

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The airport can already land an A380; last fall, a Lufthansa A380 bound for Houston had to make an unscheduled stop at D/FW because of bad weather.

“The arrival of the A380 is a testament to the strength of the travel market here at Dallas/Fort Worth and the growing stature of DFW International Airport as a pre-eminent global hub,” said Sean Donohue, D/FW CEO.

“As a mid-continent hub, DFW has outstanding connectivity and is just four hours from every major city in the continental U.S., Canada and Mexico.”

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said, “the A380 is big, and so is D/FW Airport. It’s fitting for Emirates to bring its Airbus A380 to North Texas as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of DFW Airport and recognize its $31.6 billion economic impact in our region. The new A380 service will allow us to create even more business connections from DFW to Dubai and beyond.”

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Emirates said more than 370,000 passengers have travelled between DFW and Dubai since the airline started flying the route.

The 489-seat A380 is powered by four U.S.-made GE GP7200 engines,

D/FW will become Emirates’ 28th international destination to have the aircraft, joining New York and Los Angeles.

Emirates passengers in all cabin classes have WiFi access, digital widescreen TV with up to 1,600 channels of on-demand in-flight entertainment, and gourmet-chef prepared meals, served by an international and polylingual crew.

The Emirates first class features two “Shower Spas.” The “Onboard Lounge” is available to first and business class passengers, and features wines, cocktails, and hors d’oeurves.

“Bar staff begin serving drinks as soon as the aircraft reaches cruising altitude and are on hand all the way until descent,” Emirates says.

First and Business Class travellers also have access to a complimentary chauffeured service to and from the airport.

First class has 14 private suites, business class has 76 lie-flat beds, and economy has 399 seats.

The Emirates flights will operate daily as EK222, departing Dallas/Fort Worth at 12:35 p.m. and arriving in Dubai at 12:20 p.m. the following day. EK 221 departs Dubai at 2:45 a.m. and arrives at Dallas/Fort Worth at 9:45 a.m. the same day.

Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first A380 in 2007, and launched service on its Singapore-Sydney route.

Worldwide, Singapore, Air France, Qantas, Lufthansa, Korean Air, China Southern, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, and British Airways fly the plane.

U.S. airports that host the aircraft include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston (also an Emirates destination), Miami, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., Washington, D.C., and New York JFK.