Interesting facts about Emirates Airlines Airbus A380

These are the 8 benefits of being an Emirates Pilot.

Emirates was the first airline to order the Airbus A380 back in 2000
Emirates is the world’ largest A380 operator, flying this iconic double-decked aircraft to 48 cities on six continents on scheduled services
Including one-off flights, special commemorative services, test flights, and other operational deployments, 70 airports to date have welcomed the Emirates A380, including Munich, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hamburg (one-off 100th airport anniversary), Berlin (ILA Berlin Air Show), Dresden (EWF/Airbus) and Cologne (German Aerospace Day 2015) in Germany

Emirates has ordered a total of 142 A380s at a total value of 61b US$ in list prices
One in every three A380s in the sky today is an Emirates aircraft. Its order book represents over 40 percent of the total orders received by Airbus for this aircraft
Of Emirates’ 100 A380s, 13 are in dual-class configuration (Business/Economy Class)
Each A380 flight has 24 cabin crew and two cabin service assistants working aboard
Over 23,000 cabin crew and 1,500 flight deck crew are specially trained to operate the A380 fleet
At the iconic A380 Onboard Lounge mixologists can whip up to 14 different types of cocktails. Emirates has over 6,000 crew trained as mixologists
The shortest Emirates A380 flight is Dubai to Kuwait (851 kilometres). The longest Emirates A380 flight is Dubai to Auckland (14,193 kilometres)
In 2016-17 Emirates received 19 new A380s, its highest number during a financial year
After every seven to eight years in service, Emirates fully strips its aircraft of their exterior color and gives them a brand-new coat. An A380 requires a team of 34 people for a full strip and repaint project, which required almost 6,000 man hours or 15 days. The paint covers an area of 3,076 square metres
The newly re-designed Onboard Lounge can accommodate up to 26 passengers at a time, including eight seated
Production costs of one First Class private suite are valued at US$ 500,000
Emirates’ sponsored clubs Arsenal FC, Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain and AC Milan all had an A380 in dedicated special livery during recent years
At ILA Berlin Air Show 2010, Emirates placed an order with Airbus for additional 32 A380s at a list price of US$ 11.5 billion. The agreement was signed by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other dignitaries

Hollywood actress, director and producer Jennifer Aniston starred in two global Emirates A380 digital and TV advertising campaigns (2015 and 2016)
In January 2013, Emirates opened Concourse A, the dedicated home of its A380 fleet and the world’s first purpose-built facility for the aircraft at Dubai International Airport, comprising 20 A380-capable contact gates, as well as Emirates’ flagship First and Business Class lounges, the largest in the world
Dubai Miracle Garden displays the world’s largest floral installation through a life-size version of the Emirates A380, covered in more than 500,000 fresh flowers and living plants. In full bloom, the aircraft structure has an unprecedented total stem count of five million flowers and weighs over 100 tonnes
530 kilometres of cables are laid in one A380, the beeline distance between Hamburg and Stuttgart
The full list of the 48 Emirates A380 destinations: Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Birmingham, Brisbane, Casablanca, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London (LHR and LGW), Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Manchester, Mauritius, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, New York (JFK), Nice, Paris (CDG), Perth, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto, Washington D.C., Vienna and Zurich
Capacity of the Emirates A380 fleet

Long cruising range, 3 classes, 489 seats (F14/J76/Y399)
Medium cruising range, 3 classes, 517 seats (F14/J76/Y427)
Medium cruising range, 3 classes, 519 seats (F14/J76/Y429)
Medium cruising range, 2 classes, 615 seats (J58/Y557)

COMAC Unveils Plans for the C929 to Rival Airbus and Boeing

After the success of China’s first C919 aircraft, the country is setting its sights on developing a larger plane. COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) has officially confirmed plans to build a widebody aircraft, marking a significant step in its aircraft lineup.

Traditionally, Airbus and Boeing dominate the widebody aircraft market, with decades of expertise in developing planes and engines capable of carrying heavy payloads. China, which currently relies on imported engines, is now aiming to challenge these giants with its own widebody jet, the C929, designed to compete with the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777.

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The C929 will be China’s first independently developed long-range widebody aircraft. It adheres to international airworthiness standards and boasts independent intellectual property rights. The baseline version is designed to seat 280 passengers and offers a range of 12,000 kilometers, catering to global demand for both regional and international air travel.

Russia, which also needs reliable narrowbody and widebody aircraft, could become a key customer for the C929. Additionally, China plans to target the broader Asian market as it continues to expand its aviation capabilities.

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China’s aviation progress includes the ARJ21 (now called C909), a regional jet with 100 seats for shorter routes, and the C919, a narrowbody jet with 180 seats designed to rival the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320. Both models have found increasing demand in the domestic market.

At China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, COMAC announced that Air China will be the launch customer for the C929 widebody jet, though details about order size and delivery timelines were not disclosed.

Other major deals announced by COMAC include:

Hainan Airlines: Firm orders for 60 C919 and 40 C909 regional jets.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines: 30 C909 jets, with 20 firm orders and 10 provisional agreements.

The C929, renamed from the CR929 after Russia withdrew from the joint development project in 2023, is expected to carry 280–400 passengers with a range of 12,000 kilometers, competing directly with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

According to COMAC’s deputy general manager, Tong Yu, the first fuselage section of the C929 is expected by September 2027, with prototype test flights anticipated soon after.