dailynewsnblog
Each week, airlines from around the world submit schedule changes to Cirium Diio, OAG, and so on. In the latest update, 
Emirates revealed that the Airbus A380 will not return as planned from its 
Dubai International Airport (DXB) hub to Perth International Airport (PER) or Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG). Superjumbo flights will now resume later than scheduled last week.
This is, of course, another consequence of the war in Iran. There have been many developments because of it for numerous carriers globally as they seek to reduce their fuel bill and exposure to the Gulf region. Compared to last week, Emirates has removed another 7% of A380 flights in May/June. This is on top of previous reductions.
Emirates’ Double-Decker Services To PER
The Gulf giant has not flown the quadjet from DXB to PER for two months. According to Flightradar24 data, the equipment last departed from the United Arab Emirates for Western Australia on March 14, which was only two weeks after the war in Iran started.
Since then, the Airbus A350-900 has mainly been used instead, although the Boeing 777-200ER and 777-300ER have appeared too. Considerably lower capacity has been available, although that reduces risk and exposure at a time when some are concerned about traveling via Gulf hubs. It helps Emirates to boost loads, fares, and yields.
Emirates Has Ended Airbus A380 Flights On 23 Routes [Updated List]
They are in many different countries around the world. Find them all out here!
Last week, the plan was for the double-decker equipment, which now has a new special livery, to leave DXB for PER on June 1. A daily service on four-class, first-class-equipped, 468-seat aircraft was anticipated. That is Emirates’ lowest-capacity and highest-premium A380 configuration.
Things have changed now. The latest schedule submission indicates that the superjumbo will now lift off for the capital of Western Australia on July 1. The rest of the details remain unchanged. This reflects what is known as of May 11. It is quite possible that things will change again.
|
Frequency |
DXB To PER; Local Times* |
PER To DXB; Local Times** |
|---|---|---|
|
Daily |
2:45 AM-5:35 PM |
10:20 PM-5:15 AM+1 |
|
* In July |
** In July |
The Type’s Return To PRG Has Also Been Delayed
The Czech Republic capital is in a near-identical position. Flightradar24 indicates that the A380 was last used to PRG on March 23, after which the 777-300ER was deployed. Until now, the 360-seat 777 has mainly been used, with the 332-seat layout due to operate soon. They each have first class, with the 332-seater also having premium economy.
The double-decker was scheduled to return on June 1, but this has been pushed back to July 1. It would not be surprising if it was delayed again. The three-class, 569-seat A380 is due to operate. This is the airline’s brand-new, very high-capacity configuration. It has 76 seats in business, 56 seats in premium economy, and 437 seats in economy. It will eventually replace the airline’s two-class, 615-seaters, becoming the world’s new highest-capacity superjumbo layout.
Qatar Airways Grounds All Airbus A380s For 2 Months: Here’s What’s Next
Qatar Airways has made a bold move, grounding all eight of its Airbus A380s in April and May. All its aircraft are now back in Doha.
EK139 will leave DXB at 8:35 AM and get to PRG at 1:00 PM local time. Returning, EK140 will depart at 4:10 PM and return to the Gulf at 11:55 PM. This schedule is completely designed for massive two-way connectivity via DXB, especially to/from Asia-Pacific. Narrowbody-operating partner 
flydubai also serves PRG daily. Services leave DXB at 3:35 PM and arrive back at 5:25 AM+1. The departure and arrival times coincide with Emirates’ critical European departure and arrivals banks.
Emirates plans to fly the A380 to PRG during the upcoming winter, just as it has done for the past few years. In this period, flydubai’s frequency will rise to 10 weekly, with the additional three weekly services leaving DXB at 1:55 AM. Unsurprisingly, this is amid another of Emirates’ very busy bank of departures to Europe. By working closely together, the Czech capital thus has considerable connectivity via DXB.
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A380 Routes With 25%+ Fewer A380 Flights In May
Based on this week’s schedule update, 14 airports worldwide will now have between 25% and 100% fewer A380 flights in May, as shown above. For example, the type was to return to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) on May 16 and operate daily thereafter. However, the new plan is for superjumbo to take off to IAD on June 1. It remains to be seen if it does.
Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) bucks the trend. Having not seen Emirates’ superjumbos since 2023, the equipment returned earlier this month. The final departure from DXB was down for May 15, but it has now been extended to May 31. Amid a sea of cuts elsewhere, it is a notable development, and could easily be extended to June.
