Emirates returns the A380 airliner to its Johannesburg route

Major international airline Emirates, based in Dubai, on Wednesday reintroduced the Airbus A380 Superjumbo on to its Dubai-Johannesburg route, to meet growing passenger demand. Previously, the airline had operated the A380 on its Johannesburg route for a few months in 2011/2012, but the market had not proved mature enough and the type was more needed on other routes. “This time, it’s going to stay!” assured Emirates senior VP: commercial operations Africa Orhan Abbas. Johannesburg is now the airline’s busiest route in Africa, with four flights daily; until now, they have been operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. From today, one of these daily schedules will be flown by an A380. Emirates is the world’s biggest operator of the Superjumbo, with 92 in service and another 50 on order.