DUBAI: The Emirates A380 touched down in Muscat earlier today for a one-off scheduled flight to Muscat International Airport (MCT). This special flight also marks 25 years of Emirates’ service to Oman, and reaffirms the newly opened airport’s infrastructure readiness for A380 operations.
The Emirates A380, the world’s largest commercial passenger jet, was operated by Omani national, Captain Mussallim Al-Dawoodi and UAE national, First Officer Nasser Abdulla Al Owais.
The Emirates VIP delegation was led by Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre at Emirates.
The aircraft landed at 0935hrs at Muscat International and was met with a ceremonial water cannon salute. Upon docking at the air bridge, the Emirates delegation was greeted with a welcome ceremony. Government and trade officials, VIPs, and media members were then offered a guided tour of the A380 by Emirates cabin crew.
Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre, Emirates said: “The arrival of the Emirates A380 to the Sultanate of Oman is a significant milestone, commemorating our strong 25 years of partnership with the country. Oman is an important destination in the region for us and we remain committed to providing our customers in Oman with world class services, and to growing our operations further in the market. We thank and share our appreciation to the Muscat International Airport authorities, who have helped make this one-off service a momentous and successful event.”
In 1993, Emirates inaugurated its first service to Muscat and since then, has carried more than 4.3 million passengers to and from Oman. The airline started operating with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft with a four weekly services. Today, the airline flies to Muscat with three daily services utilising Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, connecting passengers to over 150 global destinations in Far East, Europe and USA. Since 2015, Emirates has transported 44,000 tonnes of cargo to and from the country with main export commodities of perishables, including beans and mushrooms and fish.
The airline employs over 55 Omani nationals across the Group – of which six are Omani pilots, and four operate the A380. Emirates Skywards, the award winning loyalty programme of Emirates Airline has more than 53,700 Omani members.
EK 862 flying to Muscat operated in a three-class configuration, with 429 seats in Economy Class on the lower deck, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites on the upper deck.
Passengers travelling in all classes enjoyed the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system, ice, offering up to 3,500 channels, up 20MB complimentary on-board Wi-Fi, as well as regionally inspired meals on-board prepared by award-winning chefs.
The Emirates A380 service today operated as EK862 and EK863, departing Dubai at 0825hrs and arriving in Muscat at 0935hrs. The return flight departed Muscat at 1205hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1310hrs.
Emirates is the largest operator of A380 aircraft. The airline currently has 103 A380s in service and 59 pending delivery. Customers from Oman can enjoy the Emirates A380 experience from Dubai to 48 destinations including popular destinations such as London, Munich, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Emirates is offering travelers a chance to avail special fares to Dubai in celebration of the airline’s 25 years of service to Muscat. Economy Class passengers can enjoy fares starting from OMR 69 and Business Class passengers can enjoy fares starting at OMR 220. The offer applies to bookings starting today until 10 July 2018. News Desk
