DUBAI: The world’s largest passenger jet aircraft will touch down at London Gatwick next month as Emirates brings an Airbus A380 to the airport to mark 25 years of service. The Emirates’ double decker, which carries over 500 passengers, will make history on 6th July when it becomes the first ever A380 service to Gatwick Airport.
The A380 will operate one of Emirates’ three daily flights to Gatwick, enabling passengers to experience the amenities on board. These include the world’s first Onboard Shower Spas in First Class, an Onboard Lounge for First and Business Class passengers and an in-flight entertainment system throughout the aircraft with over 1300 channels on demand.
Emirates first flew to the UK on 6th July, 1987 with a daily service to Gatwick. Today, the airline offers 16 daily flights from UK airports to Dubai where passengers can connect to a network of over 120 destinations worldwide.
“Emirates has changed the face of UK air travel since we took off from Gatwick 25 years ago,” said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation. “Since that time, millions of travellers have flown with us from our six UK departure points to Dubai and beyond.”
“As our network has grown, we have not only introduced new overseas destinations to UK travellers, but have also helped to build trade links for the UK with markets across the globe. We have contributed to the UK economy through job creation, inbound tourism and cargo exports,” Mr Obaidalla added.
Emirates directly employs over 500 people in the UK and more than 2,500 British nationals across the Emirates Group globally.
In addition to its triple daily Gatwick service, Emirates now flies five times daily to London Heathrow, three times a day to Manchester, twice daily to Birmingham and Glasgow, and daily to Newcastle.
“The arrival of a scheduled Emirates A380 flight from Dubai for the first time at Gatwick is a double celebration,” said Guy Stephenson, Gatwick Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer. “It marks the 25 years that Emirates have been operating in the UK, with Gatwick being their first airport. It is also the first time that Gatwick has welcomed a scheduled A380 flight - a huge achievement for the airport.”
On 6th July, EK 015 will leave Dubai at 0800hrs and arrive in Gatwick at 1230hrs. EK016 that day will depart Gatwick at 1530, landing in Dubai at 0130hrs the next day.
Emirates offer generous baggage allowances for First Class, Business Class and Economy Class passengers of 50kgs, 40kg and 30kg respectively. All-inclusive return Economy fares to Gatwick on 6th July start from Dh4,700.
