Watch: world’s largest airliner Emirates A380 lands back at Birmingham Airport

The airbus A380 landed at Birmingham Airport on Saturday (1 July), returning to the region for the first time since March 2020.

Flight EK039 touched down in Birmingham on Saturday at 12:25pm local time, with the iconic double-decker receiving a warm welcome from locals as it taxied to the stand. It also featured Emirates brand new distinctive livery with modern updates to the tailfin and wingtips.

Emirates has now resumed using its 615-seater Airbus A380s for the first time since the pandemic.

The A380 service is daily and adds to the existing 777 service, serving Birmingham with two flights a day.

Both the Emirates check-in counter and gate at Birmingham Airport were also decked out with celebratory decorations including welcome back signs. The return flight EK040 departs for Dubai at 2.20pm.

With the capability to fly distances of up to 15,000 kilometres between take-off and landing, the A380 is one of the longest-range aircrafts in the world. Carrying up to 615 passengers at full capacity, the A380’s wingspan is 79.8 metres, almost 30 metres longer than the University of Birmingham’s Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Speaking to BirminghamWorld, Richard Jewsbury, Emirates Divisional Vice President in the UK, said: “We’ve got a lot of history at Birmingham, we first started to fly there in December 2000 and we put the A380 on the route in 2016.

“Obviously over the pandemic we stopped flying for a time and now we’re building back to we have two flights a day at the moment. So it’s really exciting and gives us over 1,000 seats a day from Birmingham to Dubai and then beyond. So we’re really trying to connect Birmingham and the West Midlands to our global network.

“We have a really good woring relationship with Birmingham Airport and the wider community so we building on that, and we hope to get back to the services we had pre-pandemic.”

He added: “We’re excited to be bringing back our iconic A380 aircraft back to Birmingham. The return will make it easier to connect more passengers to popular long-haul destinations including Thailand, Australia and of course the vibrant city of Dubai for summer and beyond. As well as meeting increased customer demand, businesses across the region will be able to take full advantage of the cargo capacity. We’re extremely proud of our partnership with Birmingham Airport and our ongoing commitments to the wider Midlands region. We look forward to welcoming customers back on-board.”

Nick Barton, CEO of Birmingham Airport, said: “Emirates’ magnificent A380 aircraft on the BHX tarmac is a sight for sore eyes. We are all thrilled to see it back. Whether travelling for business, leisure or family, our twice daily Dubai services are very popular with nine out of 10 seats sold on average.

“The extra capacity offered by the A380 will be welcomed by Emirates customers.”