OREANDA-NEWS. Emirates, a global connector of people and places, will operate a one-off A380 service to Vienna next month, celebrating 10 years of commitment to Austria. The Emirates' double decker, which carries over 500 passengers, will make history when it becomes the first ever scheduled A380 service to Vienna International Airport.

On 26th May, the A380 service will replace EK 125 and EK 8126 departing Dubai at 1715hrs and arriving in Vienna at 2110hrs. The flight leaves Vienna at 0020hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0800hrs the next day.

Emirates will operate a one-off A380 service to Vienna to celebrate 10 years of operations on 26th May 2014.

“We would like to thank the Austrian Authorities and Vienna International Airport for supporting the deployment of this one-off Emirates A380 operation,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “Celebrating a decade of successful operations to Vienna is a historic milestone for us and demonstrates our continued commitment to Austria, which has become a key business and leisure destination for Emirates, in addition to a strategic gateway to the burgeoning economies of Central and Eastern Europe.”

Emirates has developed its operations in Vienna using a strategic approach to gradually increase its services based on real market demand, and has been successful in doing so, recording high seat factors on a year round basis.

“We hope that the iconic city of Vienna will become part of our growing list of international cities served by the Emirates A380. More importantly we hope that we are able to provide our world-class product, and much needed convenience, to both our customers in Austria and the thousands of international visitors who wish to travel there,” continued Antinori.

“Emirates has connected two important business and tourism regions, the Middle East and Austria, for ten years. An excellent partnership has developed between Vienna Airport and Emirates during that time, and we look forward to continuing this productive cooperation in the future,” said Julian Jager, member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.

Emirates has been flying to Austria since May 2004, and has gradually built up its services from 4 to 13 flights a week, currently operated by the B777-300ER aircraft. Since 2004, Emirates has carried over two million passengers on the route between Vienna and Dubai.

At present, Emirates' 13 weekly frequencies support over 5,000 full-time jobs in Austria, generating economic activity worth over ˆ104 million a year.

Vienna has become the fastest growing market in Europe for Middle East visitors, growing in double digits in the last four years to more than 30,000 tourists a year. Moreover, total tourism expenditure through Emirates 13 weekly flights brings in an estimated ˆ337 million per year, translating into ˆ35 million in yearly tax revenue for the country. This positive contribution of Emirates' operations also shows that any increases in Emirates' services to Austria have had a catalytic effect on a further development of trade and tourism.

Emirates currently has 47 A380s in service and 93 on order, more than any other airline globally. Emirates received 12 of the giant double decker aircraft over the last year. More than 23 million passengers have travelled on the Emirates A380 since it was first launched in 2008.

The two decks of the Emirates A380 offer spacious seats in Economy Class, lie-flat seats in Business Class and luxury First Class Private Suites. In total, the aircraft can carry between 489 to 517 passengers depending on the configuration. Passengers in the premium cabins can socialise in the Onboard Lounge and First Class passengers can arrive at their destination feeling refreshed in one of two onboard Shower Spas.

Passengers across all cabins can enjoy up to 1,700 channels of the latest movies, TV shows and music from around the world alongside a range of games on the award-winning ice inflight entertainment system. The latest technology allows passengers to stay connected throughout the flight with high-speed Wi-Fi access and mobile phone and data services.

Emirates expanded its A380 services in Europe, Australia, Mauritius and the US last year. The aircraft launched to Zurich and Barcelona so far this year, and a new A380 service to Dallas will commence later this year.