Johannesburg became the first destination in Arica to be connected via Emirates A380 as the flight EK761 arrived this Saturday in the city from Dubai. Jo'burg, considered the economic powerhouse as well a top holiday destination of South Africa, is the sixteenth destination on the Emirates A380 network.
The Emirates A380 was welcomed at the O R Tambo International Airport with the traditional water cannon salute.
Jean Luc Grillet, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Africa was buoyed by the development and thanked the government and airport authorities for their support.
"The demand for Emirates' services in and out of Johannesburg has always been high, with passenger growth of more than 27 percent over the last year. It is fitting that our A380 is now serving South Africa and we would like to thank the Department of Transport and OR Tambo International Airport for their efforts in enabling us to bring this exceptional aircraft to Johannesburg," he said.
"The UAE and South Africa's strong and successful relationship has been built on the twin pillars of trade and tourism. In introducing our flagship aircraft and the extra capacity it offers, Emirates will help to further boost this important partnership," Mr Grillet further added.
In the past one year, Emirates has transported more than 900,000 travellers across its three South African gateways – Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The Dubai-based airline also carried over 37,500 tonnes of high value cargo on its South African routes during the first eight months of the year 2011.
"Our world-class infrastructure investment in O R Tambo International Airport is integral to the continued economic growth of Johannesburg, the primary passenger and freight gateway into Africa," Vuwani Ndwamato, Director Air Transport at the Department of Transport, was quoted by news portals.
"The introduction of the Emirates A380 exemplifies our efforts to power a world-class city and stimulate investment to strengthen South Africa's position as a major player in the global economy," Mr Ndwamato added.
A special reception was also organised at the O R Tambo International Airport to commemorate the first landing of the superjumbo. Guests at the reception were offered an opportunity to survey the double-decker that features almost 400 economy class seats for travellers who prefer relatively cheap flight tickets with Emirates. In fact, budget travellers looking for cheap tickets on flights from Dubai to Johannesburg and vice versa might well be the most benefited travel class as a number of seats will be available to them. Apart from the Economy Class, 76 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites will be available in the double-decker.
Johannesburg A380 services will operate on a daily basis. EK 761 will depart Dubai airport at 0440hrs (local time) and arrive at the O R Tambo International Airport at 1050hrs (local). EK762 will take off from Johannesburg at 1410hrs (local) and will land up in Dubai at 0010hrs (local) the following day.
Emirates A380 Operations around the World
Emirates is the largest operator of the environment-friendly A380 aircrafts in the world. Currently, the airline flies the A380 to London Heathrow, Manchester, Hong Kong, Paris Charles de Gaulle, New York, Toronto, Seoul, Jeddah, Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, Sydney and Auckland. Emirates is scheduled to offer A380 flights to Kuala Lumpur and Rome from 1st December 2011, and from 1st January 2012 the double-decker will ply to Munich. Apart from Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and Korean Air maintain A380s in their fleet.
