Emirates second daily A380 service commences in Birmingham
Emirates, a global connector of people, places and economies, commences its second daily A380 service out of Birmingham yesterday (29th October 2017), less than two years after its inaugural A380 flight from the city.
The introduction of the double-daily A380 service was driven by huge demand from passengers in Birmingham to travel on the iconic aircraft. Since the first A380 service from Dubai to Birmingham launched on 27th March 2016, nearly 500,000 passengers have flown on the aircraft between the two cities.
Emirates started flying to Birmingham on 18 December 2000 as a daily service to Dubai, operated by a 278-seat Airbus A330. Since then, Emirates has carried over 5.2 million passengers between Dubai and Birmingham. In its first full year of operations out of the city, Emirates carried just under 70,000 passengers. The growth in popularity of the route is clear, with over 40,000 passengers carried during a record July alone.
Home to Villa Park and Aston Villa Football Club, as well as St Andrew’s, home of rivals Birmingham City Football Club - visitors enjoy the city’s rich footballing heritage. Historic sites such as the Grade I listed Jacobean mansion Aston Hall joins the Symphony Hall and Hippodrome Theatre on the list of Birmingham’s must- see cultural attractions.
Laurie Berryman, Emirates Vice President, UK, said: “The launch of the second daily A380 service shows our continued commitment to this important route, allowing more passengers travelling from Birmingham to take advantage of our A380 to A380 connectivity via Dubai.
“Thanks to its strategic position in the Midlands, the route allows both visitors and businesses to travel to Dubai and beyond from the heart of the UK. Now in its seventeenth year, we have seen a pronounced growth in the popularity of our Birmingham service and look forward to a bright future with our twice daily A380 service.”
William Pearson, Aviation Director commented: “We are delighted that Emirates has launched a second A380 service from Birmingham to Dubai with this iconic aircraft. Emirates’ hub in Dubai offers connections to 154 destinations, over six continents, giving our region’s travellers global connectivity with an award-winning airline.
“Having this additional capacity on the lunchtime service to Dubai and onwards ensures flexibility and choice for passengers and also shows the commitment that Emirates has in the Midlands region.”
Emirates’ flight EK39 departs from Dubai at 07:25hrs and arrives in Birmingham at 11:25hrs. The outbound flight, EK40, departs from Birmingham at 13:30hrs and arrives in Dubai at 00:35hrs the following day.
This year, Emirates was recognised as the ‘Best Airline in the World’ at the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for airlines. The award was based on thousands of reviews Emirates received from the TripAdvisor community over the past twelve months. Emirates was the most positively reviewed airline in the industry over that period of time.
Passengers travelling in Business Class also enjoy access to a dedicated lounge at Birmingham Airport as well as Emirates’ convenient Chauffeur-drive service to and from the airport within a 70-mile radius.