Emirates 615-passenger A380

Airlines and airports will be watching with interest, as will Airbus, as Emirates puts its initial two-class 615-seat A380 into service on 1 December routing Dubai – Copenhagen.  The passenger reaction will be carefully noted.  To date the highest capacity A380 is that operated by Air France, 538 in a three-class layout.
     
The launch of Emirates’ A380 to Copenhagen comes almost four years after the airline first linked the Danish capital with Dubai.  The Danish capital will be the first in Scandinavia to boast a scheduled A380 service.  The route was served initially by an A330, then a 777 and now the A380.  The two-class configured aircraft has 58 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 557 in Economy.  The upper deck Business Class lounge is retained. 

While the A380 is licensed for 853 passengers single-class, and is being pushed by Airbus as a high-capacity workhorse, most operators have deployed it as a luxury flagship.  Air Austral, which specified a 840-seat design, has no firm delivery date, likewise the 652-seaters ordered by Russia’s Transaero Airlines.  www.emirates.com  www.airbus.com

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