Emirates is marking 30 years of flying to Australia, beginning with its inaugural Melbourne service in June 1996. Since the first flight into Melbourne, Emirates expanded to Sydney in 2000, Perth in 2002, Brisbane in 2003 and Adelaide in 2012. Each new gateway has deepened Emirates\u2019 commitment to Australia and Dubai as the hub connecting Australians to the world. Today, Emirates operates 70 weekly services across the five Australian gateways, connecting the continent to nearly 140 destinations worldwide.<\/p>\n
Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia at Emirates, said:<\/strong>\u00a0“Melbourne is where our Australian story began, and it remains central to everything we do in this market.<\/p>\n Our commitment here has never been limited to the flights we operate. We have invested in Australian sport, culture and communities, strengthened trade links and created thousands of jobs across the country. These investments underline the long-term view we have always taken of this market.<\/p>\n As we mark this milestone, our focus is firmly on what comes next. We will continue to bring our latest aircraft, our best products and our extensive global network to Australian travellers, as we have done since our first flight in 1996.”<\/p>\n Building Australia\u2019s connectivity to the world<\/strong><\/p>\n For three decades, Emirates has extensively expanded its operations in Australia, introduced best-in-class products across all gateways and further deepened its commitment to Australian sports and art.<\/p>\n Emirates launched Melbourne with three weekly services in 1996 and progressively added frequency and capacity as demand grew. By 2017, the airline was operating three daily Melbourne services; from March 2018, all three were scheduled with the Airbus A380, creating more seamless A380 connections through Dubai to key points in the UK and Europe.<\/p>\n The route\u2019s growth opened convenient one-stop access via Dubai to cities across Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East, giving Melbourne travellers broader choice on a single ticket and strengthening links for tourism, trade and visiting friends and relatives.<\/p>\n The Airbus A380 became a defining part of Emirates\u2019 Melbourne operation as capacity expanded. Melbourne later became an all-A380 destination, with three daily services scheduled on the flagship aircraft from March 2018. Following the restoration of services after the pandemic, Emirates added a second daily A380 flight in May 2022, providing more than 1,000 seats a day between Dubai and Melbourne.<\/p>\n In 2013, Emirates and Qantas signed a landmark commercial partnership, going beyond a standard codeshare to integrate networks, scheduling, pricing and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits across both carriers. For Australian travellers, it meant seamless single-ticket access to more than 65 international destinations, with Qantas connections extending Emirates’ reach into domestic Australia and across the Tasman. Together, the commercial alliance has carried more than 17 million passengers and remains one of the most significant in aviation.<\/p>\n Bringing next-generation travel to Australian skies<\/strong><\/p>\n Australia has consistently been among the first markets to receive Emirates’ latest aircraft and products, a pattern that underscores the strategic importance the airline attaches to its Australian operations. In December 2025, Adelaide became the first city in Emirates’ global network to receive the ultra-long-range A350. Earlier that year, Melbourne became the first Australian city to welcome Emirates’ First Class Game Changer suites when the retrofitted Boeing 777 entered service.<\/p>\n Today, 56 of Emirates’ 70 weekly Australia\u2013Dubai services operate with the airline\u2019s latest next-generation products and refreshed cabins, delivering more than 5,000 weekly Premium Economy seats across all five Australian gateways. Emirates’ retrofit programme, the largest in aviation history, is transforming 219 aircraft with the latest cabins.<\/p>\n Investments in Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n Emirates’ investment in Australia has never been limited to its flight operations. Emirates has invested more than AU$230 million in Australian sport, culture and community, including long-standing partnerships with the Australian Open and Collingwood Football Club, as well as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Emirates was also a long-standing partner of the Victoria Racing Club, in a relationship that spanned nearly three decades.<\/p>\n Since 2006, Emirates has invested AU$150 million in the Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort, developing the property with deep respect for its environmental and cultural heritage, including the restoration of historically significant landmarks and the planting of more than one million native trees across the site. In 2026, Emirates committed a further AU$50 million in partnership with Marriott International to transform the property into Emirates Wolgan Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Lodge, set to become the first Ritz-Carlton Lodge in the world upon its anticipated opening in early 2027.<\/p>\n The Emirates Group employs more than 8,000 Australians, including through dnata, Australia’s largest inflight caterer, operating 15 facilities with more than 3,000 staff producing over 64 million meals annually. Emirates’ operational spend in Australia reached AU$1.1 billion in FY2024\u201325, reflecting a business that is deeply embedded in the local economy.<\/p>\n Strengthening trade between Australia and the world<\/strong><\/p>\n Australia is one of Emirates’ key markets on its global network. In FY2024\u201325, the airline carried 2.6 million passengers on Australian routes and moved 79,000 tonnes of high-value cargo, with freight volumes growing 12% year-on-year.<\/p>\n The UAE is Australia’s largest Middle East trade and investment partner, with bilateral trade valued at AU$12.7 billion. The UAE\u2013Australia CEPA agreement has created new momentum for trade across goods, services and investment. Emirates SkyCargo operates three weekly freighter services into Sydney, connecting Australian producers to markets across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and beyond. Dubai’s geographic position allows Emirates SkyCargo to reach two-thirds of the world’s population within eight hours.<\/p>\n Emirates is also a significant contributor to Australia’s inbound tourism. The airline connects travellers from 74 destinations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East into Australia’s five international gateways, contributing to international visitor arrivals across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Emirates has also worked with state tourism and government partners to restore capacity, promote their destinations and support visitor growth.<\/p>\n An anniversary menu inspired by Australia<\/strong><\/p>\n Travellers flying from all five Australian points will also enjoy a curated menu of dishes and beverages both on board and at Emirates\u2019 airport lounges in Australia, to celebrate the airline\u2019s anniversary.<\/p>\n First and Business Class passengers will be served Moreton Bay bug, prawn and crabmeat salad with pickled shallots, marinated heirloom tomatoes, fennel, chives and pepper berry emulsion as an appetizer; Seared lamb cutlets with salsa verde, boulang\u00e8re potatoes and grilled courgette salad with asparagus, cherry tomatoes and parmesan for the main course; and Meringue with Chantilly cream with passion fruit compote, strawberries and blueberries as a dessert.<\/p>\n Passengers in Premium Economy and Economy Class will further enjoy Freekeh salad and smoked salmon with sundried tomatoes and pepper berry dressing with vinegar, Dijon mustard and garlic as an appetiser; Chicken schnitzel served with tomato basil sauce, potato gratin, mozzarella and roasted vegetables for their main course, and Lamington for dessert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Emirates is marking 30 years of flying to Australia, beginning with its inaugural Melbourne service in June 1996. Since the first flight into Melbourne, Emirates expanded to Sydney in 2000, Perth in 2002, Brisbane in 2003 and Adelaide in 2012. 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