Emirates Launches A380 Service To Barcelona

Emirates Launches A380 Service To Barcelona

New Zealanders can now fly all the way from Auckland to Spain by A380 following the launch by Emirates of the double-decker aircraft on its services between Dubai and Barcelona – the first regular A380 service to Spain.

A380s replace the Boeing 777s previously operated on the Dubai-Barcelona route. Adding over 2,200 seats per week between Dubai and Barcelona, Emirates’ newly-expanded operation is a direct response to strong passenger demand.

Emirates flies A380s three times daily from Auckland to Dubai and beyond via Australia, and all provide direct connections to the Barcelona service at Dubai. Emirates’ daily Boeing 777-300ER flight from Christchurch also connects with the A380 to Barcelona.

Barcelona joins a host of 25 other major cities around the world to be served by an Emirates A380. Emirates currently offers daily A380 services from Auckland via Dubai right through to London-Heathrow, Manchester, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Munich, Moscow and Zurich, plus Barcelona.

“Barcelona, ‘the business corridor of the Mediterranean’, has a vibrant economy. It is attracting foreign investment across sectors, and it is building on its position as an international congress centre and multifaceted tourism destination. Accordingly, we have seen growing demand for air transport to and from this exciting city, and our A380 service is a direct response to that demand,” said Thierry Aucoc, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Europe and the Russian Federation.

Barcelona-El Prat Airport set a new record in 2013 with over 35 million passengers passing through its facilities.

"Having welcomed 100 million visitors within the last 20 years, Barcelona is now in a position to further grow as a global tourism destination. The arrival of the Emirates A380 is a significant development for the city and for the Catalonia region that will help support our goals for further growth," said Pere Duran, Director General Turisme de Barcelona (Barcelona Tourist Board).

The city welcomed almost more than 5 million visitors between January and September of last year, with more than 500,000 visitors coming to attend the over 800 international congresses, further benchmarking Barcelona’s attractiveness as a business tourism destination. Furthermore, Barcelona has become the top city in the world by number of delegates, and third ranked for number of international congresses held in the city, according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).

Emirates has the world’s largest A380 fleet with 44 of these aircraft serving 26 global destinations.

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