OREANDA-NEWS. Emirates, a global connector of people and economies, will grow its services to and from Milan with the upgrade of one of its daily Boeing 777-300 services to an A380 from 1st December. This will be the first ever permanently scheduled A380 service to Milan Malpensa Airport.

Bringing the A380 onto one of Emirates' three daily Milan services will mean an increase in capacity of almost 38%. The triple-daily service connecting Dubai to Milan is currently operated with a mix of Boeing 777-300 and 777-300ER aircraft. One of these services continues onward to New York.

Thierry Antinori, Emirates' Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer said: "Introducing the Emirates flagship A380 service underscores our commitment to further developing the economic and tourism potential of Italy's regions and cities. We continue to support the Lombardy region as well as the Italian economy primarily by bringing in tourists and business travellers from both mature and emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. These regions are known for their demographic growth and economic diversity. With Milan Expo 2015 closely approaching, over 20 million visitors are expected to visit the city and more than 3 million visitors will travel to Milan from international destinations, and we are well placed to cater to the upward demand within that period and beyond. The new Emirates A380 service will also enable travellers to enjoy unmatched comfort and quality in all classes on the world's largest passenger aircraft."

Milan Expo 2015 will undoubtedly have a positive impact as an economic catalyst that will boost local and regional economies. In total, the economic value that Milan Expo 2015 will deliver to the city and surrounding region is expected to top €34 billion. Over €11.8 billion has already been invested in both urban and regional infrastructure to support Milan Expo 2015, and a further €1.7 billion has been invested to construct the exhibition site in Milan (according to the Association of Enterprises of the Lombardy Region). Milan will hand Dubai the baton for Expo 2020, and the cities have signed an agreement for strategic cooperation on expo coordination. Dubai is also expected to make significant investments for Expo 2020.

Roberto Maroni, the President of the Lombardy Region said: "I am pleased that Emirates is continuing to invest in Malpensa. The airline is strategically working towards supporting Expo 2015, when Lombardy will welcome millions of visitors from all over the world. My congratulations to Emirates for their important contribution to the touristic and economic development of our territories."

Giuliano Pisapia, Mayor of Milan, said: "The permanent arrival of the A380, the largest aircraft in the world, to Malpensa is a big boost of confidence that Emirates has given the airport. Almost two thousand additional seats per week will support the increase of traffic from all over the world to Milan. The introduction of the A380 on the eve of Expo 2015 can only be received with great satisfaction and demonstrates the attractiveness of Malpensa as an international airport, and of the Milanese, Lombardy and Italian territories as well. We hope that other announcements will follow."

Pietro Modiano, SEA President, commented: "We are very enthusiastic to welcome the Emirates A380 to Milan Malpensa on one of the airline's three daily flights from Dubai. Emirates and SEA have built a partnership over the years that has always given satisfactory results. It is no coincidence that Malpensa airport has three daily flights to Dubai and is the only European airport where Emirates operates its connection to New York. These major investments have brought more than 2.5 million passengers to Malpensa over the last 10 years (2004-2013).

Furthermore, SEA has continued to invest in Malpensa so the airport could provide the facilities and services tailored to the quality that an airline like Emirates requires for its passengers. With this in mind, we decided to redesign Malpensa airport investing €30 million."

After starting flights to Italy in 1992, Emirates now operates 49 flights per week to Milan, Rome and Venice, contributing to a € 6.9 billion trade relationship between Italy and the UAE in 2013. Emirates has a strong economic footprint in Italy, contributing over € 100 million to the Italian economy each year via purchases of products and services, direct expenditures, marketing spend, as well as investment in major sponsorships. Some of these investments are easily recognizable with products on board like Bulgari amenity kits and Castello Monte Vibriano products. Just last year, over 2 million Bulgari amenity kits were distributed to First and Business Class passengers and over 3.5 million bottles of Castello Monte Vibriano balsamic vinegar and olive oil were also served to passengers travelling in premium classes.

On the Dubai-Milan route, the aircraft is arranged in a three-class configuration with a combination of 399 and 427 seats in Economy Class, 76 fully lie flat beds in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites. Passengers across all cabins can enjoy more than 1,800 channels of ice, Emirates' award-winning Digital Widescreen inflight entertainment system. They can also stay connected to their family and friends through their favourite social networks courtesy of high speed Wi-Fi access. Each Emirates' A380 offers an Onboard Lounge on the upper deck for Premium Class passengers to meet, relax and do business, while enjoying light canapés and delicacies as they mingle. First Class passengers have the added luxury of two Onboard Shower Spas to refresh before landing.

Passengers travelling with Emirates on the A380 and all its other aircraft benefit from a generous baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy, 40kg in Business and 50kg in First.

With 53 A380s currently in its fleet, Emirates is the largest operator of the environmentally friendly double-decker aircraft, operating services from Dubai to over 30 destinations worldwide. Last week, the airline launched an A380 service to Dallas. The airline's A380 operations are supported by more than 3,000 dedicated cabin crew, of which 270 are Italian nationals.

The A380 service will operate daily as EK 91, departing Dubai at 1540hrs and arriving at Milan Malpensa airport at 1935hrs. The return flight, EK 92, departs Milan at 2120hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0625hrs the next day.