Dubai: An Emirates plane was seen flying very low while being accompanied by another aircraft over some parts of Dubai on Monday morning, Gulf News has learned.
Several Dubai residents took to social media to report sighting the Emirates A380 cruising at low altitude over Dubai Marina, The Palm and Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT). One resident was certain it was a “fighter jet” flying next to the Airbus.
“Emirates Airbus circling over the sea in front of JLT (Jumeirah Lakes Towers). Very low and looks accompanied by fighter jet,” a twitter user said.
A photo of the aircraft in question was also doing the rounds in social media. "Pretty sure that's an Emirates flight with an escort of some sort," said another twitter user.
When reached for comment, the airline quickly brushed aside speculations, citing that they are conducting an aerial filming and a test flight of one of its planes, which is scheduled to fly on Tuesday.
“Emirates can confirm that it is conducting air-to-air filming of the A380 over various parts of Dubai as well as the UAE, and has safely completed a test flight this morning,” a spokesperson said.
The airline, however, would not confirm if the plane has just been delivered or refurbished, or if it is preparing for its maiden flight, but indicated that the aerial filming is part of a standard operating procedure.
"A test flight is usually done before the actual flight which is scheduled tomorrow," the spokesperson said in an email.
According to earlier reports, the airline is looking to acquire new aircraft as it seeks to update its aging fleet and add new routes.
Just this month, the airline launched its second daily service from Dubai International Airport to Boston Logan International Airport, to meet growing demand from customers flying between the eastern United States and Dubai and from passengers connecting to Emirates.
