Emirates to Launch First Commercial A380 Service to United States

On August 1, Emirates Airlines will launch its first-ever A380 commercial flight from Dubai to New York's JFK International Airport. The 14-hour nonstop flight will also be the first-ever commercial A380 service to the United States.

"We are confident that Emirates' customers traveling to and from North America will welcome the A380's additional space and capacity, as well as our luxurious onboard amenities which will provide a very high quality travel experience previously associated only with private jets," said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline & Group.

The airline's A380 interiors and onboard product have been kept secret for now but will be revealed to the world when Emirates receives its first A380 from Airbus' Hamburg facility on July 28.

The A380s are quieter inside and outside than most airplanes, and can fly up to 7,456 miles on a full load (offering better fuel economy per passenger mile than most hybrid passenger cars) thanks to the GP7200 engine made by American aircraft engineer Engine Alliance, a joint venture of General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.

After the inaugural launch to New York, Emirates will operate its A380 three times a week on its New York-Dubai route on Fridays, Sundays and Wednesdays:

EK3802   Departs JFK at 9 p.m. and arrives in Dubai at 5:45 p.m. the next day.
EK3801   Departs Dubai at 11 a.m. and arrives in JFK at 4:45 p.m. 

Emirates expects delivery of five A380s in its current financial year, all featuring its ultra long-haul configuration of 489 seats: 14 in First Class, 76 in Business and 399 in Economy; with 13 tons of bellyhold capacity for cargo. After New York, these aircraft are slated to operate on Emirates' routes from Dubai to London Heathrow and Sydney-Auckland.

The announcement of the first commercial flight comes shortly after the airline publicized plans for nonstop service from Los Angeles to Dubai, beginning September 1, and from San Francisco to Dubai, beginning October 26. In addition to the twice-daily service from JFK, the airline has daily, nonstop service from Houston to Dubai.

For more information on flights, visit www.emirates.com/usa.