Emirates Airbus A380 goes double daily to Sydney

Fourteen hours between Sydney and Dubai is a long haul indeed, but doing it on an Airbus A380 – especially in business or first class – makes the marathon so much more bearable.

And from March 2nd, Emirates will offer a choice of two daily superjumbo departures – EK415 at 6am or EK413 at 9.45pm – doubling up from the current single daily service as the Gulf carrier and Qantas partner continues to rebuild of its Australian network.

It's another cheering sign that international travel is bouncing back, and follows Australia's decision to open its borders to all tourists from February 21.

Emirates is eager to bring more Airbus A380s back to Australian skies.

Emirates' Sydney-bound A380s feature 14 enclosed first class suites and 76 business class seats, which are well suited to the trek between Australia and Dubai, where the airline offers a slew of connections to the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Emirates' Airbus A380 first class suite.

First class flyers will be happy to find the two shower suites still in operation – it's still among the most indulgent experiences you can enjoy on a commercial aircraft.

Every Emirates A380 also features that iconic cocktail bar towards the rear of the upper deck, either in its original 2008 form...

The original Emirates A380 inflight bar, circa 2008.

... or the classier 2017 edition, which the airline says was "inspired by private yacht cabins."

Emirates' glammed-up second-gen A380 inflight bar.

That includes a cleaner, sleeker design, with a lighter colour palette of ivory and (appropriately) champagne accented by bronze and woodgrain.

The seating has also been revamped to include cafe-style tables with a window view, while other areas have been opened up to make mingling easier.

The revamped bar gained extra seating to become more of a social lounge.

However, these Australia-bound A380s are yet to see the airline's new premium economy, launched in December 2020 and still found on only a handful of jets.

Emirates is also flying its A380s to Melbourne, with Brisbane slated to follow from July 1 – although Emirates' lounges at all three international airports remain closed for now, the airline has confirmed its plan to reopen them in the second half of 2022.