More than 10,000 spectators descended on Manchester Airport last week, as Emirates introduced a new era in air travel from the North West with the launch of A380 "superjumbo" services between the city and Dubai.
The flights are the first time the world's biggest airliner has operated a scheduled service to and from a regional airport and the superjumbo is continuing to draw the crowds at the Runway Visitor Park with plenty of people coming down to watch her land at 12.25pm every day.
The Emirates A380 touched down at Manchester at 12.25pm on last Wednesday with a packed load of passengers on board. It departed a few hours later with another packed load, breaking a Manchester Airport record with the largest number of passengers ever to depart on a scheduled flight from the airport.
The A380 now operates one of Emirates' two daily flights from Manchester to Dubai, where passengers from the North West can connect to services to points across the globe including popular destinations like Australia, South Africa, India, Thailand and China.
Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman Emirates Airline & Group, who was born in the North West and arrived at Manchester on the first A380 flight said: "This is a historic moment for Emirates as we bring our 21st century superjumbo to the North West twenty years after our first flight from the region. Our Manchester service has been an incredible success story, and we're delighted to be opening the next chapter."
The A380 is the world's only twin-deck airliner and is the most environmentally-advanced airliner in the sky today. It offers better fuel economy than most hybrid passenger cars, and burns up to 20 per cent less fuel per seat than today's next largest aircraft. It is quieter too, generating less than half the noise of other aircraft on takeoff.
Return fares from Manchester to Dubai on the A380 start from £539 (Economy), £2309 (Business) and £3087 for First Class. For more information please visit www.emirates.com/uk.
