Emirates is set to operate Airbus A380s to just one of its four German destinations this summer. According to a recent analysis by Simple Flying, the jet is only planned to fly to Munich, with the 777 remaining scheduled on other routes.
While most global airlines have grounded their Airbus A380 fleets, Emirates remains an exception. Where demand allows, the UAE carrier has been operating the giant of the skies, including with its new premium economy cabin. This summer, the airline is set to continue the type’s rollout to include 18 airports in cities around the world, excluding its Dubai home.
One A380 city
Four German cities are part of the Emirates network in summer 2021. All have previously received Airbus A380 flights. However, It seems as though only one of Emirates’ German destinations will receive the Airbus A380 this summer, according to an earlier analysis by Simple Flying’s James Pearson.
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According to provisional schedules, the Airbus A380 is set to appear on 18 routes this summer, ranging from Los Angeles International to Shanghai in China. In Germany, however, the airline will be avoiding flying the giant of the skies to Frankfurt, the capital of German Aviation.
Instead, the aircraft will fly to Munich in the south from July 1st. Along with Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Hamburg are set to be served by the smaller Boeing 777 this summer, although Frankfurt is expecting two Boeing 777 flights per day.
According to Emirates’ latest statistics, the airline currently has 115 Airbus A380s in its fleet, with five more deliveries pending. Its last A380 on order recently began testing. However, only a tiny fraction of the fleet is currently flying. With that being said, in January, the airline revealed that it plans to operate its entire fleet by the start of 2022.
Why not Berlin?
You may be wondering why Emirates doesn’t fly to the shiny new Berlin Brandenburg Airport. The airline currently only has the right to fly to four cities within the nation. This means that serving Berlin would mean sacrificing another city. During the 2019 Dubai Air Show, Emirates’ CEO, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, told a round table attended by Simple Flying that the airline always looks at what is in the country’s best interest when deciding on routes.
However, it seems as though the airline could be considering a change of course. Just last week, the German-language newspaper Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported that in an interview with Tim Clark, the airline’s president commented that Berlin’s absence from its route network is noticeable.
What do you make of Emirates’ Summer 2021 flight plans for Germany? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!
