OREANDA-NEWS. Emirates, a global connector of people and places today celebrated the launch of its scheduled A380 service to Zurich, bringing the number of destinations it serves with its popular A380s to 25.

With over 500 passengers on board, Emirates flight EK 087, led by Captain Daniel Wyss, a Swiss national, departed from Dubai International this morning bound for Zurich International airport. On arrival, the aircraft will be met by Rene Huber, Mayor of the City of Kloten and Stefan Conrad, COO Zurich Airport following which a welcome reception will be held at the airport.

Captain Daniel Wyss (left) and First Officer Ahmad Ali Naqib (right) pictured in the cockpit prior to flying the commemorative A380 flight from Dubai to Zurich today.

Share the excitement of the A380's inaugural landing at Zurich airport - view our video taken from the cockpit by clicking here.

“Since commencing operations between Dubai and Zurich in August 1992, Emirates has carried 3.4 million passengers travelling between the two cities,” said Thierry Aucoc, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Europe and Russian Federation.

“Deploying the A380, which allows us to bring 163 more passengers every day into Zurich - a 21.8% increase - is central to helping us meet growing passenger demand in the market. During just over five years of A380 operations, Emirates has carried a staggering 21.8 million passengers to global destinations. The continued expansion of our A380 fleet, now numbering 44, has enabled us to bring our innovative product and world-class service to travellers in this market.”

“Emirates' decision to operate its flagship aircraft on one of its two daily flights to Zurich represents another milestone for Zurich Airport and demonstrates the strong demand from travellers for the Emirates product. The upgrade from a Boeing 777 operation to an A380 on the afternoon flight from Zurich is a significant capacity increase and a clear commitment to the Swiss market,” said Stefan Conrad, COO of Zurich Airport.

The new A380 service to Zurich provides travellers wishing to visit destinations such as Mauritius, Bangkok, Shanghai and Sydney, the chance to experience a seamless Emirates A380 experience connecting through Emirates' Dubai hub.

Each Emirates A380 offers an Onboard Lounge on the upper deck for Premium Class passengers to meet, relax and do business. First Class passengers have the added luxury of two Onboard Shower Spas. Passengers across all cabins can revel in more than 1,600 channels of ice, Emirates' award-winning Digital Widescreen in-flight entertainment system. They can also stay connected to the internet throughout their journey with high speed Wi-Fi access.

Passengers travelling on the A380, as on aircraft on all Emirates flights, benefit from a generous baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy Class, 40kg in Business Class and 50 kg in First Class. Passengers travelling in Premium Classes can also access dedicated Emirates lounges in Dubai and Zurich, part of Emirates' global network of 35 lounges.

Emirates is the largest operator of the A380 in the world, flying one in three of these modern jets in the skies today. Emirates' A380 fleet expansion and recent order support the aviation industry in Switzerland, which comprises around 50 Swiss companies that supply Airbus with over 80 million CHF worth of parts, of which almost 16 million CHF are for the A380 program. Swiss components include highly specialised electric systems and cabin outfitting.

The A380 will operate as flight EK 087 departing from Dubai International Airport daily at 0825hrs arriving in Zurich at 1220hrs. The return flight EK088 will depart from Zurich at 1435hrs arriving in Dubai at 2340hrs. The aircraft offers 14 seats in First Class, 76 seats in Business Class and 427 seats in Economy Class. Emirates also operates a second daily flight to Zurich using a Boeing 777-300ER bringing the number of seats on the route to 870 per day.