As Emirates gets ready for take-off with the A380, our man Anil Bhoyrul takes you on a guided tour inside the plane.
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IN PICS: Inside the A380
As it gets ready to take to the air for the first time from Hamburg, expectations are high that the superjumbo jet can leave its troubled past behind and propel the Dubai-based airline to further
Emirates and Airbus chiefs and staff applaud the arrival of the new A380 onto the runway in Hamburg on the eve of its inaugural flight to Dubai.n
Emirates’s 525-seat double-decker plane will make its maiden flight from Dubai to New York on Friday (August 1) in what will be the first commercial A380 flight to touch down in the US.
A look at one of the seats in the A380 Economy Class section. As exclusively revealed by Arabian Business, there are no footrests as the airline looks at ways to lessen the aircraft’s weight and improve fuel efficiency.
The spacious cabin of the A380 with top-of-the-range monitors for every passenger showing the latest films and TV shows. n
The airline will start direct flights from the US west coast to Dubai this autumn. Guests in San Francisco and Los Angeles will have their first opportunity to see the A380 on August 4 and 5 during a tour to the two cities – both set to receive their own daily non-stop service from the UAE state.
It’s champagne all round for passengers in Business Class which boasts this bar area.n
Tim Clark, President of Emirates, by far the biggest A380 customer with 58 planes on order, is confident the service will help the airline to grow by 15-20 percent in 2008-2009 and around 25 percent the following year.
A look at one of the seats on the A380. The airline has revealed its superjumbos will become the first paperless planes, with the aircraft stripped of all seat-pocket paper including in-flight magazines, entertainment guides and shopping catalogues in a bid to improve fuel efficency.
Each passenger sitting in Business Class will have his or her own mini-bar full of drinks to enjoy during the flight. No more pestering the flight attendants!
Goodies galore, including chocolates and crisps, for passengers in First Class. Plus check out the size of that TV screen.
One of the guests on the inaugural flight from Hamburg to Dubai was former Wimbledon tennis champion Boris Becker who is currently busy with his Boris Becker Business Tower development in Dubai.
The bathroom facilities in the A380 have quality fittings throughout. In First Class there are even shower suites to allow passengers to freshen up if they want to before touching down at their destination.
Turning the clock back a few months, here’s the A380 still on the Airbus production line.
Another flashback photo showing the enormous aircraft being put together in a factory in France.
