Dubai: An Emirates A380 superjumbo will begin operating on the Paris route on December 29 — one month earlier than planned.
The airline previously announced that the super-jumbo would fly to Paris Charles de Gaulle from February 1. However, an operational review coupled with rising demand on the route led to the plan being reviewed.
The 489-seat aircraft will be incorporated into Emirates' double daily flights to Paris. The A380 will initially service three of the morning departures from Dubai.
Earlier this month, Emirates bucked the trend in the aviation industry by posting a sizeable profit increase for its operations in the April-September period of the current financial year.
For this period the airline earned a profit of Dh752 million ($205 million) and experienced an 18 per cent increase in passenger numbers.
The growth in passengers and earnings has been mirrored in the French market and was a major consideration in plans to introduce the A380 on the Paris route earlier than expected.
Strong indicators
Salem Obaidullah, Emirates senior vice president for Commercial Operations: Europe and the Russian Federation, said: "Our forward carryings out of France are extremely strong.
"Coupled with the earlier aircraft availability on that route, it means we can provide passengers with the experience of flying this highly popular aircraft between Dubai and Paris much sooner than originally anticipated," he said.
