Joburg's Air Passenger Growth Marks Return Of Emirates' A380

Emirates’ deployment of the A380 underscores confidence in the SA market.

- Glenda Williams

for a few short months in 2011/2012, Emirates operated its massive wide-body long-haul Airbus A380 on the route between Johannesburg and Dubai. But passenger numbers fell short of expectations, as the market had not yet matured as Emirates had hoped. So the airline withdrew the A380 from the route and replaced it with the smaller Boeing 777.

Since then, Emirates’ passenger numbers on the route between Johannesburg and Dubai have grown by 47% over the last five years, says Orhan Abbas, Emirates senior vice president, commercial operations, Africa. This has meant the return to the route of the popular double-decker A380 with its extra seating capacity, on-board lounge and showers.

“And this time it’s going to stay,” says Abbas.