OREANDA-NEWS. July 09, 2012. Moscow Domodedovo Airport and Emirates announced the upcoming opening of the first regular flights on Airbus A380 to Moscow. The largest passenger aircraft of the world will be carrying out daily flights via the route Moscow (Domodedovo) - Dubai - Moscow (Domodedovo) since December 1, 2012.

Airbus A380, operated by Emirates, is designed to carry 517 passengers and will replace Boeing 777-300ER for one of the two daily flights of the airline to the Russian capital. In the Moscow direction, the double-deck A380 will provide an unprecedented level of comfort, offering 427 seats in economy class, 76 fully reclining seats in business class, and 14 personal cabins in the first-class cabin.

‘Domodedovo is the first and only airport in Russia, meeting the indispensable requirements of airline operators of the giant airliner A380. We are fully prepared to receive A380 on a regular basis by purchasing unique equipment that is used exclusively for maintenance of the aircraft of this type. Our partner and we are pleased to offer the exclusive product in Russian market,’ - said Igor Borisov, Director of Moscow Domodedovo Airport.

‘Since the launch of flights to Moscow in 2003, the demand for our flights has been continuously growing, and we are now ready to present the today’s largest passenger aircraft in the largest country in the world,’ - said Obaidalla Salem, Senior Vice President of Emirates for Commercial Operations in Europe and Russian Federation.

The first regular flight of A380 to Moscow, EK 131, will be made on December 1, 2012, taking off from Dubai at 17:50 and landing in Moscow Domodedovo Airport at 23:15. The return flight EK 132 will depart from Moscow at 01:05 every day, arriving in Dubai at 06:20. Regular flights on the largest airliner of our time have been made possible due to long-term partnership between Emiratesis and Moscow Domodedovo Airport, the first Russian airport, fully prepared to receive A380 on a commercial basis. To do this, the largest aviation hub of the country has purchased a unique double-level airbridge, which was mounted in May 2012, special catering motor highlifts able to "reach" to the upper deck of A380, de-icers and tugs.

The first flight to Russia of the largest airliner A380 was also made to the largest air harbor of the country in October 16, 2009. Then Domodedovo carried out its complete ground handling, showing that the aircraft has successfully fit into the existing infrastructure of the airport.

Emirates is one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, operating flights to 124 destinations in 73 countries. Emirates’ fleet - one of the youngest in the world - consists of 176 wide-bodied Airbuses and Boeings, including the world's largest fleet of A380, and its list of orders includes supply of 227 more aircrafts worth over 62 billion U.S. dollars.

Moscow Domodedovo Airport is the largest airport in passenger traffic in Russia. In 2011, the airport served 25,701,610 people, which enabled it to become one of the largest airports in Europe according to the ACI classification. Moscow Domodedovo Airport has been chosen for flights to Moscow by members of the world's leading aviation alliances - Star Alliance, oneworld. Since 2009, Moscow Domodedovo Airport tops the list of the best airports in the Eastern Europe by quality of service, according to an annual survey by the independent research company Skytrax Research (UK).