Emirates’ Airbus A380 receives warm welcome in New Delhi

GN

New Delhi, 15 July 2010: Emirates became the first airline to land a commercially operated Airbus A380 on Indian soil in a special flight to celebrate the opening of a new terminal at New Delhi’s Indira Ghandi airport. EK 516, a special, one-off flight of the 517-seat A380 arrived at the IGI Airport to a water cannon salute at 2.50pm. A senior delegation of Emirates officials led by Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations and Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, West Asia and Indian Ocean, arrived on this special flight of the Emirates A380.

 

“This is a proud moment for Emirates as we celebrate 25 years of successful operations in India, one of our most important destinations, not just in Southern Asia, but across our global network,” Mr Vaughan told a 200-strong audience comprising media, travel agents and VIPs, hosted by Emirates and GMR. “We started our operations to India in 1985 with 10 flights a week and have, today, achieved a feat that no other international airline has".

 

 

Mr Vaughan said that with 11 A380s already part of the carrier’s fleet and 79 more to come, Emirates saw a “significant opportunity” to start regular services to India, subject to government approvals. “We do see India as one of the key markets where this product will be able to do full justice,” he said, pointing out that the connectivity that Emirates offers through its Dubai hub is second to none.

“Introducing it on the Indian routes is only expected to fuel further growth in the Indian economy and strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. We are upbeat about our plans and hopeful of being able to offer the product as a regular service to the Indian travellers in the near future.”