Emirates airlines have completed its airlines first ever Emirates A380 flight from Dubai to Sydney Australia and Auckland New Zealand, and also sets new standards in eco-efficient air travel.

Award-winning Emirates Airline notched up yet another first today as it operated the world’s first A380 commercial service from Dubai to Australia and New Zealand. Sydney and Auckland became the third and fourth destinations to join Emirates’ rapidly-expanding A380 network. 

Taking off from its new home - Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport – EK 412 operated by Emirates revolutionary A380 aircraft arrived in Sydney and flew onwards to Auckland, carrying onboard 400-plus passengers from UK, Germany, Malta, the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran, amongst other nationalities. Emirates will operate its A380, dubbed ‘a premium hotel in the sky’, from Dubai to Sydney and across the Tasman to Auckland every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The service will progress to a daily, effective 1st May 2009.

Advancing Emirates’ environmental programme, today's A380 service also heralds a new era for flights Down Under, a green best-practice demonstration flight, and the use of the world's most eco-efficient commercial airliner on the Indian Ocean for the first time.

All three measures are being deployed to cut fuel burn and emissions on flights to/ from Australia and New Zealand as well as reduce journey time for passengers. The per seat fuel burn on the Emirates’ inaugural A380 flight is expected to be 20 percent less vis-à-vis the normal flights.

EK412, the first commercial flight of an A380 over the Indian Ocean, is also the test flight for a longer-term green flight initiative involving the Air Navigation Service Providers of Australia, the UAE, Oman, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives working with Emirates and other airlines to pioneer best environmental practice over the world's third-largest oceanic region. The programme will officially commence in the first half of 2009.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, East Asia and Australasia noted: “The start of A380 services on this route represents yet another initiative in Emirates’ partnership with Australia and New Zealand. Emirates is not only committing to offer a revolutionary in-flight experience to travellers from these countries but is also enhancing capacity on the route – a welcome news to tourism authorities of both countries as they seek to attract increasing number of visitors from the Middle East.”

Despite a challenging global economic environment, visitors from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) visiting Australia are expected to grow by 8% this year and by 15 % in 2010, according to a forecast by the Tourism Australia Aviation and Economics Team.

In its last annual study, Tourism New South Wales recorded close to 30,000 overnight visitors from the region, representing 43.3% of its total visitors and a 32.9% increase from the previous year’s study. Already, Emirates is carrying over 50% of all Gulf tourists visiting Australia. The airline’s robust network in the Middle East and North Africa comprises 194 flights per week to 16 key gateways.

“The growth in Emirates’ seat capacity by over 40 % is expected to encourage above-average growth of visitor arrivals and support both countries’ marketing efforts in the region,” added Mr Vaughan.

In a move aimed at facilitating travel, New Zealand signed a visa-waiver agreement with the six member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Trade benefits will also accrue as the Middle East is a valuable market for New Zealand products including wool, dairy products, meat, manufactured goods and services. At the same time the region is an important source for New Zealand’s crude oil, polymers and fertilisers.

The new service will also benefit Australians and New Zealanders travelling to their preferred cities in Europe and the Middle East, and will facilitate a seamless A380 experience from Auckland/Sydney to Dubai and onwards to London Heathrow – an important route for travellers from both countries.

The Emirates’ A380 sets a new milestone in environmental conservation, offering better fuel economy per passenger mile than most hybrid passenger cars. The aircraft’s environment credentials were further strengthened with today’s green flight that effectively employed new technology and multi-government co-operation to create ultra-efficient flexible routings and minimise fuel burn.

To maximise its environmental efficiency, EK 412 adopted the following measures:
Priority departure from Dubai and an unrestricted climb from UAE Air Traffic Control to ensure optimal fuel burn.

Flexible, ultra-efficient routings over countries and their air space such as Oman, the Maldives and India.

Dynamic re-routing to allow for weather changes, particularly high-altitude winds, to save journey time and emissions.