Emirates takes delivery of 50th Airbus A380

Emirates has taken delivery of its 50th Airbus A380 aircraft, firmly cementing the airline as the world’s largest operator of the superjumbo.

The delivery boosts Emirates’ fleet to a total 224 aircraft, which also sees it commanding the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777s.

Aircraft number 50 is set to enter passenger service by early August.

“This speaks to the strength of our world-class product … connect(ing) Dubai to the world, and almost any two cities in the world via Dubai,” said Emirates President Sir Tim Clark.

“The A380 has helped us serve customer demand on trunk routes, operate more efficiently at slot-constrained airports, and also introduce new concepts on-board that have redefined the flying experience.”

One of those new concepts is the first class ‘shower spa’, which Australian Business Traveller has tried and tested.

By late 2017, Clark expects to have around 90 A380s in the fleet to expand the reach of the superjumbo and to bolster existing A380 routes.

Emirates’ current A380 network serves 27 airports on 5 continents, with its Dubai-Los Angeles route the world’s longest A380 flight in operation.

By the end of this year, the airline’s A380 destination count increases to 33, with is to include Kuwait, Mumbai and Dallas, along with Frankfurt, San Francisco and Houston.

To date, Emirates' Airbus A380s have carried 27.5 million paying passengers, made over 68,800 trips and covered more than 405 million kilometres.

They’ve also touched down at over 40 airports around the globe for tests and tours, with more than 10,000 cabin crew and 900 pilots specially trained to operate the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

The milestone delivery comes just as the airline signed on the dotted line for 150 Boeing 777X jets – mixed between 115 of the 777-9X and 35 of the more compact 777-8X, which will enter service for Emirates in 2020.

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