Johannesburg Now On Superjumbo Network

News Release. 4 October 2011

Johannesburg Now On Superjumbo Network

Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse of South Africa, has become the first destination for the A380 double-decker in Africa and the 16th destination on the Emirates A380 scheduled air service network.

"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," said Jean Luc Grillet, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Africa.

Over the past year, Emirates has carried more than 900,000 passengers across its three South African gateways - Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. In the first eight months of 2011, the airline also carried more than 37,500 tonnes of high value cargo on its South African routes, with exports up 26 percent from the same period in 2010.

Guests invited to a special reception at O R Tambo International Airport were given the chance to explore the superjumbo - with its 399 seats in Economy Class, 76 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites.

No matter what class they travel in, passengers on board the Emirates A380 will enjoy the highest levels of comfort in the air, including the airline's multi award-winning ice entertainment system, which features 1,200 channels of movies, television, music and games. Customers in First Class and Business Class can also enjoy an exclusive Onboard Lounge at 40,000 feet, while First Class passengers can freshen up in one of two Onboard Shower Spas.

Emirates is the largest operator of the environmentally friendly superjumbo aircraft, flying the A380 to Auckland, Sydney, London Heathrow (double-daily), Manchester, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Jeddah, New York, and Hong Kong.

From December 1, the A380 will also begin serving Kuala Lumpur and Rome, followed by Munich from January 1, 2012.

The Johannesburg A380 service will operate daily as EK 761, departing Dubai at 4.40am and arriving at O R Tambo International Airport at 10.50am (local time). The return flight, EK762, departs Johannesburg at 2.10hrspm and arrives in Dubai at 00.10am (local time) the following day.

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