Emirates has announced its early morning service from Sydney to Dubai will be operated by an A380 from 2nd June – the second daily A380 for Sydney passengers – demonstrating the airline’s commitment to New South Wales and demand for the flagship aircraft.

Currently serviced by the Boeing 777-300ER, upgrading Emirates’ flights EK 414 and 415 to the Airbus A380-800 will see an increase in capacity of 1890 seats per week.

“Emirates’ decision to commit a second A380 to Sydney is a clear indication of customer demand for the state-of-the-art aircraft and the growing travel between Dubai and Sydney on the early morning service,” said Barry Brown, Emirates’ Vice President Australasia.

“Australia represents an important market for Emirates and ranks in the top three countries on Emirates’ global network. The A380 is a core element of Australian activity, delivering considerable economic benefits through inbound seats and travel connections,” said Mr Brown.

“Adding larger capacity aircraft is central to our strategy of meeting growing passenger demand, while supporting trade between our two countries. A second A380 for Sydney also compliments our proposed plans for the partnership with Qantas,” he added.

According to a recent Deloitte report, titled ‘The Economic Value of Sydney Airport,’ the benefits of an additional Airbus A380 between Dubai and Sydney would contribute an estimated AUD$342 million to Australia’s GDP; AUD$206 million to Australia’s household income and AUD$213 million to New South Wales’ GDP.

The report also notes that 4,400 jobs would be created as a result of the additional A380 service, including 2,800 in NSW, where currently as a group Emirates directly employs 1,420 people.

Emirates’ upgrade of aircraft has been welcomed by the Accommodation Association of Australia.

“The Accommodation Association of Australia welcomed the news of the second daily A380 service to Sydney,” the Association’s CEO, Richard Munro, told HM.

“The A380’s larger seating capacity will mean an additional 1890 seats per week will translate directly into additional room demand in the major hub of Sydney and no doubt there will be dispersal to the rest of Australia’s cities and regional tourism precincts.

“It is up to us as an industry now to ensure these travellers see the very best of what our county can offer and demonstrate that there is really nothing like Australia when it comes to our tourism experience and accommodation product.”

Pending regulatory approval, the Qantas and Emirates global aviation partnership will commence 31st March, and will see Qantas and Emirates as the only airlines operating at Dubai International’s Concourse A, built exclusively for the A380. The two airlines will jointly offer 98 weekly services between Australia and the global gateway city of Dubai, including five daily A380 flights from 2nd June.

Concourse A has the capacity to handle 15 million passengers a year, offering customers a seamless and unrivalled experience in terms of comfort and convenience, as well the ability to connect to 20 Emirates A380 destinations around the world.

Emirates sets the pace for A380 deployment, with the aircraft having carried 14 million passengers on 35,000 trips spanning 200 million kilometres since A380 operations commenced five years ago. In 2012 alone, Emirates added 11 A380s to its fleet and remains the largest operator of the aircraft, with 31 in the fleet and 59 on order.

The Emirates A380 is set in a three-class configuration, with 399 seats in Economy Class on the lower level and 76 fully flat-bed, mini-pods in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites on the upper level. Passengers in the First Class cabin can freshen up in one of two on-board Shower Spas before joining fellow premium class travellers in the On-Board Lounge where they can enjoy complimentary beverages and canapés.

The second daily Dubai-Sydney A380 announcement compliments a flurry of recent upgrades of Australian services, including the introduction of a daily Melbourne A380, a daily Adelaide service and a three times daily Perth service to commence from 1st March.