The iconic Emirates A380 made a one-off service to Clark International Airport today, becoming the first commercial flight, utilizing the iconic aircraft, to operate to the Luzon-based airport.

The special A380 service from Dubai to Clark and operating as EK2520, took off from Dubai International Airport at 02:40 and landed in Clark at 15:23 local time, and was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute upon arrival at the airport. More than 400 passengers, who were delighted to have experienced Emirates’ flagship aircraft on a route not regularly served by the aircraft, in addition to Emirates executives, were welcomed by the airport’s executive management team. VIPs, including Secretary of Department of Transportation, Mr. Arthur Tugade, as well as media were given a guided tour of the A380 by Emirates cabin crew.

Satish Sethi, Country Manager for Emirates-Philippines said: “Today we mark a special day in the history of our operations in the Philippines, by becoming the first airline to operate the world’s largest commercial passenger aircraft to Clark International Airport and we are delighted to share this special occasion with the airport that we have been operating from since 2016. It also is a great honour to have delighted our customers by giving them the opportunity to experience this flagship aircraft on their journey to the Philippines.

“We have been serving our customers in the Philippines for 30 years and, since we introduced this iconic aircraft to our fleet in 2008, Filipino fans have always planned trips to destinations that are served by the Emirates A380, by connecting in Dubai, to enjoy its spaciousness, comfort and best-in-class features and amenities. This time, we wanted to give our customers the one-off opportunity to have the same experience on the Dubai-Clark route.”

The popular Emirates A380 aircraft has resumed operations to five destinations so far, including London Heathrow, Paris, Cairo, Guangzhou and Toronto.

“We would like to thank the authorities in the Philippines for their continuous support that has been crucial to our success since we began our operations here. Our most sincere gratitude also goes to them for making this exceptional flight possible, allowing us to take advantage of efficiencies and greater capacity on a route where flights remain in high demand. The last time our A380 aircraft made an appearance in the Philippines was in 2014 in Manila, and we hope to see it soon as a regular scheduled service to the country,” continued Sethi.

Emirates has been serving the Philippines since 1990 and inaugurated its first service to Clark in 2016. In 2014, the Emirates A380 made a one-off trip to Manila, marking its first arrival in the Philippines. Emirates resumed its flights to Manila on 11 June, with daily flights, and Clark on 1 August with six weekly fights. On 20 August, Emirates will resume its operations to Cebu, restoring scheduled services to all three gateways in the country.

With safety as a priority, Emirates is gradually expanding its passenger services to 75 cities in September, allowing travellers to connect safely and conveniently to the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific via Dubai. Customers from Emirates’ network can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

Destination Dubai: From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai is one of the most popular global destinations. In 2019, the city welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted over hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events. Dubai was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Free, global cover for COVID-19 related costs: Customers can now travel with confidence, as Emirates has committed to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until 31 October 2020 (first flight to be completed on or before 31 October 2020), and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination. For more details: www.emirates.com/COVID19assistance.

Health and safety: Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers. For more information on these measures and the services available on each flight, visit: www.emirates.com/yoursafety.

Tourist entry requirements: For more information on entry requirements for international visitors to Dubai visit: www.emirates.com/flytoDubai.

Dubai residents can check the latest travel requirements at: www.emirates.com/returntoDubai.