Emirates to begin A380 service to Istanbul from October 1

Dubai - Deploying its three-class A380, Emirates will offer a total of 517 seats, with 14 private suites in First Class.

Emirates will introduce the first scheduled commercial Airbus A380 service to Istanbul, Turkey, from October 1, the airline said on Tuesday.

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Emirates will operate the A380 on its daily EK123/124 service. Flight EK123 will depart Dubai at 10.45am and arrive in Istanbul at 2.25pm. The return flight EK124 will depart Istanbul at 4.25pm and arrive in Dubai at 9.50pm. All times are local.

Deploying its three-class A380, Emirates will offer a total of 517 seats, with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 mini pods with lie-flat seats in Business Class and 427 spacious seats in Economy Class, increasing capacity per flight by more than 150 passengers compared to the current Boeing 777-300ER.

First Class customers can look forward to Emirates' private suites and signature onboard Shower Spa, while First and Business Class customers can relax in the popular Onboard Lounge on the upper deck. Passengers in all classes enjoy free Wi-Fi to stay in touch with family and friends, the industry’s largest seatback screens and Emirates’ multi-award winning ‘ice’ inflight entertainment which currently boasts over 4,500 channels.

"We are excited to finally bring our flagship to Istanbul to join many other top cities we currently serve with the A380. Since Emirates started operating to Turkey 34 years ago, we have carried six million customers on more than 23,000 flights. Bringing the A380 service to Turkey is a major milestone for Emirates and we would like to thank all our partners and stakeholders for their support in making this a reality," said Adnan Kazim, Emirates' chief commercial officer.

The double-decker A380 is the world's largest commercial aircraft in service and it is extremely popular with travellers around the globe, with its spacious and quiet cabins. Emirates is the world's largest operator of A380s, with 118 currently in its fleet.

• Dubai