Dubai: Emirates started operating an Airbus A380 on its daily service to Washington DC on Monday.
The Dubai-based airline increased capacity on the Dubai-Washington DC route previously served with a Boeing 777-300ER (extended range), just days after American carrier United stopped flying to Dubai from the US capital.
Emirates said in a statement on Monday it landed in Washington DC with the world’s largest passenger jet at 8:15am local time. It also said that passengers on the flight came from 20 countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Far East and North America.
Emirates, along with Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, faced aggressive lobbying in 2015 from their major US counterparts United, American and Delta who want to curb the growth of the Gulf airlines. The US carriers argue that the Gulf carriers are unfairly state subsidized to the tune of $42 billion over a decade. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways say that they offer passengers a superior product.
United said in December it would stop flying from Washington DC to Dubai from late January. Delta plans to stop flying from Atlanta to Dubai in February 2016.
