Emirates to grow services to Milan

Emirates to grow services to Milan with introduction of A380

7 October 2014

Emirates will grow its services to and from Milan with the upgrade of one of its daily Boeing 777-300 services to an A380 from December 1. This will be the first ever permanently scheduled A380 service to Milan Malpensa Airport.

Bringing the A380 onto one of Emirates’ three daily Milan services will mean an increase in capacity of almost 38%. The triple-daily service connecting Dubai to Milan is currently operated with a mix of Boeing 777-300 and 777-300ER aircraft. One of these services continues onward to New York.

All of Emirates’ four daily New Zealand services provide direct connections at Dubai with Milan, and return flights provide A380 service all the way between Milan and Auckland via Dubai. Emirates is currently the only airline offering A380 services all the way from Auckland to London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Manchester, Barcelona and Zurich.

Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Introducing the Emirates flagship A380 service underscores our commitment to further developing the economic and tourism potential of Italy’s regions and cities. These regions are known for their demographic growth and economic diversity.

“With Milan Expo 2015 closely approaching, over 20 million visitors are expected to visit the city and more than three million visitors will travel to Milan from international destinations, and we are well placed to cater to the upward demand within that period and beyond. The new Emirates A380 service will also enable travellers to enjoy unmatched comfort and quality in all classes on the world’s largest passenger aircraft.”

Milan Expo 2015 will undoubtedly have a positive impact as an economic catalyst that will boost local and regional economies. Milan will hand Dubai the baton for Expo 2020, and the cities have signed an agreement for strategic cooperation on expo coordination. Dubai is also expected to make significant investments for Expo 2020.

Giuliano Pisapia, Mayor of Milan, said: "The permanent arrival of the A380, the largest aircraft in the world, to Malpensa is a big boost of confidence that Emirates has given the airport. Almost two thousand additional seats per week will support the increase of traffic from all over the world to Milan. The introduction of the A380 on the eve of Expo 2015 can only be received with great satisfaction and demonstrates the attractiveness of Malpensa as an international airport, and of the Milanese, Lombardy and Italian territories as well. We hope that other announcements will follow.”

After starting flights to Italy in 1992, Emirates now operates 49 flights per week to Milan, Rome and Venice. Passengers across all A380 cabins can enjoy more than 1,800 channels of ice, Emirates’ award-winning Digital Widescreen inflight entertainment system. They can also stay connected to their family and friends through their favourite social networks courtesy of high speed Wi-Fi access.

Each Emirates’ A380 offers an onboard lounge on the upper deck for premium passengers to meet, relax and do business, while enjoying light canapés and delicacies as they mingle. First Class passengers have the added luxury of two onboard shower spas to refresh before landing.

Passengers travelling with Emirates on the A380 and all its other aircraft benefit from a generous baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy, 40kg in Business and 50kg in First.

With 53 Airbus A380s currently in its fleet, Emirates is the largest operator of the environmentally friendly double-decker aircraft, operating services from Dubai to over 30 destinations worldwide. Last week, the airline launched an A380 service from Dubai to Dallas-Fort Worth.

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