Emirates continues to make substantial, if only temporary, changes to its Airbus A380 network due to the ongoing war in Iran. In the latest schedule update, the carrier confirmed that superjumbo flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to five destinations globally have been pushed back until October at the earliest.

The Gulf giant has also made big frequency cuts on a further seven routes for September travel. They have each lost one daily flight which, for many of them, means the number of double-decker services has halved. Emirates is highly likely to make even more changes in the next schedule update.

Emirates Has Suspended A380 Flights To…

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Glasgow International Airport (GLA) and Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) have not seen the double-decker quadjet since March. Let’s look ahead to September and consider the other UK airports to which Emirates usually deploys the superjumbo. Cirium Diio data shows that the GLA will remain the only airport to not see the equipment. By then, all the other airports, except London Gatwick, are scheduled to be back at the same frequency as in last September.

Then there’s Copenhagen Airport (CPH) and Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). While each route currently sees the A380, they will no longer do so in September. Compared to the same month last year, IAH will be the only US airport to which Emirates usually deploys the equipment to have no flights on it.

The Boeing 777-200LR will temporarily operate to IAH, becoming Emirates’ longest 200LR-operated nonstop service. However, the equipment swap means that IAH will lose 43% of the daily seats, which will at least help with the route’s low load factor. First class will not be available to IAH in September.

Emirates Has Halved A380 Flights To These Four Places In September

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Until the latest update, Emirates had planned twice-daily superjumbo flights from DXB to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME), Munich Airport (MUC), and Zurich Airport (ZRH). However, all four airports will now only have a daily offering by the type. The 777-300ER will now operate on the specific flights that were due to see the A380.

DXB to Moscow is notable. Not only is it a huge local market of around a million passengers last year, but the number of flights by Emirates and that carrier’s narrowbody operating partner, flydubai, is considerable. Aeroflot also operates.

In September, the two UAE carriers plan nine to ten daily departures to the Russian capital. Emirates will have three daily flights to DME on the A380 and 777-300ER, while flydubai will operate six to seven times daily to Moscow Vnukovo on the 737 MAX 8. The sheer amount of capacity is due, in part, to the sanctions on Russia from the war in Ukraine and the inability to fly between Russia and most of Europe.

These Three Routes Have 25% To 66% Fewer A380 Flights In September

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Then there’s Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). Until the weekend’s schedule update, Emirates had planned four daily A380 flights to BKK (one continues to HKG, with fifth freedom traffic rights) and three each to SYD and SIN.

DXB-BKK will now have three daily services on the superjumbo in September, while SYD will be down to two and SIN will now have just one daily service on the equipment. SIN is still scheduled to have three daily A380 flights from October through the rest of the northern winter, although it remains to be seen if this materializes. October is when Etihad Airways is due to resume A380 flights to Lion City, although Qatar Airways last did so in March this year and Singapore Airlines has shelved plans for the type to DXB.