Dubai: Emirates airline will introduce the first scheduled commercial Airbus A380 service to Istanbul from October 1. The Dubai carrier will operate the A380 on its daily EK123/124 service.
Flight EK123 will depart Dubai at 10:45 and arrive in Istanbul at 14:25, and the return flight EK124 will depart Istanbul at 16:25 and arrive in Dubai at 21:50. All times are local. “We are excited to finally bring our flagship to Istanbul to join many other top cities we currently serve with the A380,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer.
The double-decker A380 is the largest commercial aircraft in service and remains popular with travellers. Emirates is the world’s largest operator of A380s, with 118 currently in its fleet.
As borders reopen and travel restrictions ease, Emirates will be operating 17 weekly passenger flights from Dubai to Istanbul, including two daily flights and three time channels – morning, afternoon and evening. The A380 will operate in the morning and bring the total weekly capacity on the route to 7,000 seats in each direction, thereby offering travellers greater choice and connections to over 120 destinations.
“In the post-COVID-19 era, through Emirates’ extensive network, it will bring more inbound tourism to Istanbul and Turkey from currently unserved or underserved destinations,” said Majid Khan, Vice-President at the Aviation Development of iGA Istanbul Airport.
