EMIRATES LAUNCHES WORLD’S LONGEST A380 FLIGHT WITH DAILY SERVICE BETWEEN DUBAI AND LOS ANGELES
(Los Angeles, California – December 3, 2013) – Emirates Airlines launched its longest Airbus A380 flight – daily service between Los Angeles at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the Expo 2020 host city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The landmark service, which crosses Eastern Canada, the North Pole and the Russian Federation, has a published duration of 16 hours 20 minutes. The flight is the world’s longest A380 service in operation.
“Bringing the glamorous A380 set of wings to the City of Angels seemed like a natural fit as this aircraft mirrors the luxury of the Hollywood lifestyle,” said Hubert Frach, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West, who arrived in LA aboard EK 216, Emirates’ inaugural A380 flight from Dubai.
“We congratulate Emirates on the launch of its daily Airbus A380 service at LAX. This is the type of quality air service we want to keep attracting to LAX as we continue our $4.1-billion modernization program,” said Gina Marie Lindsey, Los Angeles World Airports executive director. “The new Tom Bradley International Terminal will more than double in size to 2.2 million square feet (nearly 204,400 square meters). Emirates passengers will experience a whole new level of convenience and service when we continue opening several of the 18 new gates and 150,000 square feet (nearly 14,000 square meters) of premium retail, dining and other amenities for travelers.”
The introduction of the 489-seat A380, powered by US made GE GP7200 engines, replaces its Boeing 777-200LR aircraft and is a direct response to demand with over one million Emirates’ passengers travelling between Los Angeles and Dubai so far. Experiencing Emirates’ renowned hospitality begins well before stepping on board where First and Business Class travelers can enjoy a complimentary chauffeur-drive service to/from the airport and access to 35 dedicated Emirates’ lounges across its impressive network.
Passengers in all cabin classes can enjoy WiFi, ice Digital Widescreen offering up to 1,500 channels of on-demand in-flight entertainment, and gourmet-chef prepared meals, served by international and multi-lingual cabin crew. The double decker has 14 First Class Private Suites, 76 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 399 spacious seats in Economy Class. First Class passengers may wish to freshen up in one of two Onboard Shower Spas.
All upper deck premium passengers can socialize at 40,000 feet in the popular Onboard Lounge, serving hors d'oeuvres and five-star delicacies prepared by some of the world’s leading chefs, as well as wines carefully chosen by sommeliers. Bar staff begin serving drinks as soon as the aircraft reaches cruising altitude.
Emirates 23rd A380 service will operate daily as EK 216, departing Los Angeles at 1600hrs and arriving in Dubai at 1950hrs the following day. EK 215 departs Dubai at 0820hrs and arrives at Los Angeles at 1250hrs the same day. The A380’s arrival time in Dubai offers passengers from L.A. connections to an extensive range of onward destinations in the Middle East, Indian Sub-continent, Africa, Asia and the Far East. The airline operates 63 weekly flights from the U.S to Dubai from seven gateways. They are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC and New York JFK.
With 131 Boeing 777s in its fleet worth US$ 34 billion, and a further 150 Boeing 777Xs ordered at Dubai Air Show 2013, valued at US$ 76 billion, Emirates is a major contributor to the U.S aerospace industry. The airline also supports a number of sponsorships in the market. Amongst them are Emirates Airline US Open Series, Official Airline of the BNP Paribas Open, Official Airline of the San Francisco Symphony, Official Airline of USA Rugby, Presenting Sponsor at the Reliant Stadium - home of the Houston Texans NFL team and Sponsor of the New York Cosmos soccer team.
Emirates and the U.S:
Emirates’ modern and efficient fleet of 208 all wide-bodied aircraft spans 137 destinations in 77 countries. Based in Dubai, Emirates is one of the world’s most recognized airline brands through its support of premier sports and cultural events. New York was its first U.S destination in 2004 and since then the airline has carried more than 7.9 million passengers on its U.S flights. Exports carried out of the U.S by Emirates SkyCargo include auto parts from New York, apples and cherries from Seattle and oil and gas equipment from Houston. The airline’s total weekly cargo capacity out of the U.S is 650 tonnes, a channel that facilitates U.S foreign trade and opens up new markets for U.S exporters in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
About Los Angeles International Airport
The more than 30 airlines at Tom Bradley International Terminal served 8.6 million international travelers in 2012, or 50 percent of LAX’s overall 17 million international passenger volume. LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering 680 daily flights to 96 domestic cities and 930 weekly nonstop flights to 59 cities in 30 countries on 63 commercial air carriers. It ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed. In 2012, LAX served nearly 63.7 million passengers, processed over 1.9 million tons of air cargo valued at over $86.9 billion, and handled 605,480 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). An economic impact study in 2011 reported that operations at LAX generated 294,400 jobs in Los Angeles County with labor income of $13.6 billion and economic output of more than $39.7 billion. This activity added $2.5 billion to local and state revenues. LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
