Emirates to deploy Airbus A380 on Glasgow route during Dubai runway closure

Emirates will assign an Airbus A380 on its Dubai to Glasgow route for a temporary period next year while runway maintenance is carried out. A daily A380 service will replace the twice daily Boeing 777 service from April 16 to May 31 while Dubai International Airport's southern runway is closed for upgrade works. The single runway operation during this period means airlines are required to reduce and adjust their operating schedules. The A380 commission is to minimise the reduction of Emirates’ capacity from Glasgow to Dubai and beyond during this period, the airline said in a statement. When asked by The National whether a different aircraft would be used on other routes during the runway closure, it said only Glasgow has been confirmed at this moment. From June 1 until September 30, the twice daily service will resume with the A380 operating on the first flight of the day and the Boeing 777 on the second "to meet seasonal summer demand", Emirates said. The twice daily Boeing 777 operation will then return thereafter. ____________ Read more: Real Madrid en route to Abu Dhabi in special livery Emirates A380 Emirates takes delivery of final Boeing 777-300ER Passengers bedazzled by crystal-encrusted Emirates 'Bling 777' livery - and want it to happen ____________ Emirates first operated the A380 to Glasgow as a one-off in April 2014, when the airline celebrated 10 years of successful operations to the city. Flights will be reduced by nearly a third for 45 days next year while resurfacing work, replacement of ground lighting and other infrastructure works are carried out. Flydubai meanwhile has said it will move some flights to Dubai's Al Maktoum International Airport. The last time Dubai International operated with one runway for a significant period of time was in 2014 when an upgrade and repair work on both runways lasted 80 days . During that time it compensated for the reduced flight frequency by using bigger aircraft. Passenger traffic at Dubai International, the world’s busiest for international traffic, has continued to grow this year. The airport handled more than 7 million passengers in October, a 2.1 per cent increase from a year earlier. Its traffic in the first 10 months of the year rose by 1.5 per cent to 74.5 million, Dubai Airports, its operator said .