The launch of the Emirates A380 daily flights to Bangkok and thrice weekly
to Toronto - signals a new era of luxury air travel to Thailand and Canada,
and represents another milestone in the airline’s A380 schedule.

The new Emirates A380 to Bangkok took off from Emirates’ new home, Terminal
3 at Dubai International Airport, carrying 488 passengers, and the landed
to a festive welcome by the Thai government at Suvarnabhumi International
Airport. Meanwhile the Emirates A380 to Toronto departed Dubai with 458
passengers and was the first commercial A380 jet to touch down on Canadian
soil.

Senior management from Emirates flew on the two inaugural services. On
arrival in Bangkok and Toronto, the A380 was unveiled to local media,
travel trade and key government officials.

The A380 is the world’s only twin-deck airliner, with 35 per cent more
seats than its closest rival.  It is the most environmentally-advanced
commercial aircraft in the sky today, offering better fuel economy than
most hybrid passenger cars. The A380 burns up to 20 per cent less fuel per
seat than today’s next largest aircraft, and is quieter, generating less
than half the noise of other aircraft on takeoff.

Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline said: “Emirates is delighted to
celebrate its inaugural A380 services to Thailand and Canada. The aircraft
with its large capacity and excellent operating economies is a pillar of
growth, both for the airline and the destination. In Thailand, the
introduction of the super jumbo will support the local government’s
multi-million dollar promotional drive to boost tourism arrivals from the
high-yield Middle East region. At the same time the higher-capacity A380
will help address the strong demand for passenger and cargo services on the
Dubai-Toronto route which is currently restricted by the bi-lateral
agreement to three flights per week.”

Hailing the arrival of Emirates’ A380 as a positive development for
Thailand’s tourism industry, Mr. Chaisak Angkasuwan, Deputy Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Thailand said: “We are delighted Emirates
selected Bangkok as the first Far East gateway for its revolutionary A380
product.  Our current marketing and trade campaigns focus on promoting
Thailand as an ideal holiday destination in the Middle East. We welcome the
opportunity to partner with Emirates to grow the tourism potential from
this region.”

Lloyd McCoomb, President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority
(GTAA) said: “The GTAA is honoured to be part of this historic day. We are
pleased that this route has proven so successful for Emirates and we are
very excited to welcome the A380 to Toronto Pearson. This is exactly what
this airport was rebuilt for - to allow for new and larger aircraft that
will be the future of the airline business.”

Mr. Clark added: “With air travel due to triple in the next 18 years and
constraints on traffic rights and airport slots to continue, larger
capacity aircraft such as the A380 are key to Emirates’ plans to meet
increasing passenger demand. We have ordered 58 A380s and each one of these
has been carefully planned for our present and future requirements. Our
next A380 destination will be Seoul on 1st December, and will represent
Emirates’ first A380 service to North East Asia.”
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