Emirates upgrade Munich flights to A380

Emirates is responding to strong passenger demand in Germany by launching extra frequencies to Frankfurt and upgrading one of its Munich flights to an A380 superjumbo.
Emirates will be the first foreign airline to return the A380 to its home in Germany and the first carrier to operate an A380 to Munich, supporting the airport's A380-readiness.
From 1st January 2012, the airline's morning service to Munich will be upgraded to a superjumbo. EK 49 departs Dubai at 0910hrs and gets into Munich at 1245hrs, one of two daily flights.
"A third daily flight to Frankfurt and the German-built A380 serving Munich is another positive step in what is now a multi-billion US dollar relationship between Emirates and Germany, supporting thousands of German jobs," said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation.

"Meeting clear demand is of direct benefit to consumers, who want more choice, and to the German economy. We know international air services are a key driver of economic growth - facilitating the flow of business and cargo and opening up new markets to German exporters and importers," Mr Obaidalla added.

frankfurt welcomes the 3rd daily service by Emirates. This will strengthen Frankfurt’s position as one of the leading hubs of international aviation,said Petra Roth, Lord Mayor of Frankfurt.

Emirates is currently the biggest buyer of the Airbus superjumbo and one of the largest customers for the Airbus A350 aircraft. The A380 programme alone is estimated to provide at least 40,000 direct and indirect German jobs.

"Munich is looking forward to the Emirates' A380. Good connections to the Middle East are an essential catalyst for tourism from the region. And as Lord Mayor of Munich, I would like to point out that key components of the extremely quiet A380 engine have been developed and produced in Munich at MTU," remarked Christian Ude, Lord Mayor of Munich.

After starting flights to Frankfurt in 1987, Emirates currently operates 49 weekly passenger flights between Dubai and Germany double daily to Frankfurt, Munich and Desseldorf and daily to Hamburg, becoming double daily from 1st September. Additionally, Emirates operates eight weekly freighter flights to Germany.

Reflecting ever closer ties between the UAE and Germany, German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, was in Abu Dhabi for talks just last month. In February, the UAE Ministry for Foreign Trade received a chamber of commerce delegation from Hessen, the German state where Frankfurt is based. There are some 750 German companies operating in the UAE.

"Fair market access and open competition is good for Emirates, customers and the global economy. Operating out of Dubai with its Open Skies policy, Emirates is well used to competition. In the midst of extraordinary consolidation within our industry, we believe that the merits of competition are now more important than ever," Mr Obaidalla concluded.