FIRST EMIRATES A380 LANDS IN BRISBANE

The EK434 is one of the airline’s two daily flights to the city, adding almost 200, 000 extra seats each year.

Emirates divisional senior vice president Barry Brown says it is an important moment in Brisbane’s aviation history.

“The Auckland-Brisbane-Dubai route is a popular choice among business and leisure travellers alike and the new Emirates A380 service is already proving instrumental in helping Emirates meet the growing passenger demand,” Brown says.

“The demand for the aircraft and the popularity of the route is clearly demonstrated by strong load factors.

“Forward bookings average around 90 per cent, while the load factor in Business Class from October to December has increased 35 per cent when compared to the same period last year,” he says.

“The flagship aircraft represents Emirates’ ambition to break new ground and transform the way people view air travel,” he says.

Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games Jann Stuckey welcomed the passengers and says it will be beneficial for tourism and business.

“Queensland’s first A380 service is expected to bring up to an additional 188,000 visitors into Queensland and generate an estimated $23 million into the Queensland economy,” Stuckey says.

“The Newman Government has committed to doubling Queensland’s overnight visitor expenditure from $15 billion to $30 billion by 2020, increased airline capacity into the state such as this will be an important factor for us in achieving this objective,” she says.

Emirates now fly to 22 destinations with the addition of Brisbane and have 37 airbuses in their fleet.