Emirates will launch daily flights to the South Indian city of Bengaluru, serviced by its flagship A380 jumbo plane.
Set to commence on October 30, the capital of Karnataka will become the first city in the region, and only the second city in India, to be served by the world's largest passenger aircraft, following the launch of the Dubai-Mumbai route in 2014.
Emirates’ A380 flights between Dubai and Bengaluru will operate as EK568 and EK569. The daily flight will leave Dubai at 9.25pm local time, arriving in Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport at 2.30am local time the next day. The return flight departs Bengaluru at 4.20am local time, arriving in Dubai at 7:10am local time.
The Dubai airline will operate its three-class A380 aircraft on the route, featuring its first class service with amenities such as the shower spa and onboard lounge, business class cabins and spacious seats in economy class.
Emirates already operates two daily flights between the cities, via a Boeing 777 aircraft.
To mark the launch, Emirates flight EK562 took off on Friday from Dubai International Airport at 10am and landed in Bengaluru at 3:40pm local time. On board the special flight were 224 passengers, including Emirates executives Adnan Kazim, the chief commercial officer, and Ahmed Khoory, senior vice president of commercial operations — West Asia and Indian Ocean.
The flight was greeted by ST Somashekar Gowda, Minister of Cooperation, Government of Karnataka; Ahmed Abdul Rahman AlBanna, ambassador of the UAE to India; Hari Marar, managing director and chief executive of Bangalore International Airport Limited; and Mohammad Sarhan, Emirates’ vice president — India and Nepal.
“The special relationship that we share with Bengaluru and the state of Karnataka is one of mutual growth and prosperity and we are delighted to introduce A380 services to this vital gateway for travellers in South India," Kazim said.
Emirates currently operates the A380 to more than 30 destinations around the globe with plans to add 10 more destinations by March next year.
Emirates began operations to India in 1985 with its scheduled services to Mumbai and Delhi and has been serving customers in Bengaluru since 2006.
What to expect flying in Emirates' new premium economy cabin — in pictures
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Travellers can now check in for Emirates premium economy flights. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The new cabin class is now available to Emirates customers travelling on A380 routes to London, Paris and Sydney. -
A boarding pass for Emirates' premium economy cabin. -
The new cabin has luxurious seats and more legroom. -
Cabin crew hand out hot towels to passengers seated in the premium economy cabin. -
Welcome drinks are part of the premium economy service. -
An Emirates crew member details safety features for travellers flying premium economy. -
The wood panelling in premium economy is inspired by Emirates' business-class cabins. -
Each seat has a 13.3-inch screen, one of the largest in its class. -
Premium economy seats offer six-way adjustable headrests. -
Leather seats have a 40-inch pitch, are 19.5 inches wide and recline eight inches into a comfortable cradle position. -
Travellers flying premium economy all have easily accessible in-seat charging points and a side cocktail table for drinks. -
The cabin class offers passengers a distinct menu to choose from. -
Each seat also has calf rests and footrests. -
Welcome drinks and amenity kits are offered to travellers flying Emirates premium economy. -
The new cabin will also be added on flights to New Zealand from December.
