Emirates will launch daily Airbus A380 service between Dubai and Istanbul starting October 1st, 2021. The three class A380 offers 517 seats, including 14 private First Class suites, 76 mini pods with lie-flat seats in Business Class and 427 spacious Economy seats.
On Tuesday (September 14, 2021), Emirates announced the launch of daily Airbus A380 flagship service between Dubai and Istanbul from October 1st, 2021. Emirates flight EK123 will depart Dubai at 10:45 and arrive in Istanbul at 14:24, while the return flight, EK125, departs Istanbul at 16:25 and arrives in Dubai at 21:50 (all times local). The three-class A380 offers 517 seats, including 14 private First Class suites, 76 mini-pods with lie-0flat seats in Business Class and 427 spacious Economy Class seats. The A380 offers a capacity increase of over 150 guests compared to the current Boeing 777-300ER on the route.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, said,
“We are excited to finally bring our flagship to Istanbul to join many other top cities we currently serve with the A380. Since Emirates started operating to Turkey 34 years ago, we have carried six million customers on more than 23,000 flights. Bringing the A380 service to Turkey is a major milestone for Emirates and we would like to thank all our partners and stakeholders for their support in making this a reality.”
Also commenting on the new A380 service to Istanbul, iGA Istanbul Airport’s Vice President of Aviation Development, Majid Khan, said,
“Since we moved to our new home at Istanbul Airport on 6 April 2019, Emirates’ A380 entry is another milestone for us. I am proud that the world’s largest A380 operator, Emirates, will operate the Dubai-Istanbul route with their flagship, making it the first ever A380 operation at Istanbul Airport and Turkey. This increase will help to boost traffic between our two nations. 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. We are looking forward to further developing our good relations with Emirates and would like to welcome the Emirates A380 to Istanbul Airport.”
First Class guests can look forward to Emirates’ private suites and signature Onboard Shower Spa, while both First and Business Class guests can relax in the iconic upper deck Onboard Lounge. All guests will enjoy free Wi-Fi, the industry’s largest IFE screens, and Emirates’ award-winning ‘ice’ inflight entertainment system with over 4,500 channels. In total, Emirates will be operating 17 weekly flights between Dubai and Istanbul, including morning, afternoon and evening flights. The flagship A380 service will depart in the morning, expanding the total weekly route capacity to 7,000 seats in each direction. The increased service will facilitate even more seamless connections via Dubai to over 120 global destinations in the Emirates network.
With the highly-anticipated Dubai Expo 2020 opening in October, Emirates has also launched a number of promotions for travelers to Dubai. Customers who book travel to Dubai as their final destination can enjoy an early bird discount for bookings made from September 28th through October 12, 2021, for travel between September 28, 2021 through March 31, 2022. Additionally, Emirates customers visiting or transiting through Dubai at any time during Dubai Expo 2020 will be eligible to receive a free Emirates Expo Day Pass for every ticket booked with the airline.
Source: Emirates