Emirates to Receive 100th A380 Aircraft in November

Dubai-based carrier Emirates is set to receive its milestone 100th A380 aircraft on November 3, the company recently announced.

Over 80 million passengers have flown on the superjumbo in the nine years since it first joined Emirates’ fleet. Today, the company flies the aircraft to over 45 destinations spanning Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

“We continually invest to enhance our product so as to continue offering our customers the best possible inflight experience, said Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark. “Our frequent flyers will have noticed countless improvements onboard over the years, ranging from minor updates such as the addition of in-seat USB and HDMI ports, to bigger cabin overhauls where for instance we relocated the central overhead luggage bins to create more spacious cabin on the upper deck,” Sir Clark added.

With its inaugural A380 flight in 2008, Emirates introduced several industry firsts including its iconic A380 Onboard Lounge and First Class Shower spa.

The latest makeover of the Onboard Lounge features a more intimate and social area for up to 26 guests.

Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system, ice, has also been constantly updated, as the company today provides more than double the entertainment with 2,500 channels of blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music and documentaries.

Moreover, Emirates has invested close to 1 billion US dollars on hardware. Over the years, in-seat screens have been made larger across all classes.

Furthermore, the entire A380 fleet has also been fitted with connectivity to allow for free 20mb of Wi-Fi throughout the cabin, while in June last year, the first A380 was fitted with Live TV allowing passengers to watch news and sports matches live on board.

On the ground, Emirates had also worked closely with stakeholders to launch and operate an A380-dedicated airport concourse with 20 gates offering direct boarding from the airport lounge, and one of the world’s most advanced engineering centers, which include six heavy maintenance hangars, paint shops, and the capability to completely overhaul an A380.