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Twenty-five years after it first flew to Delhi,
the UAE-based Emirates became the first international
carrier to land at Terminal 3 on July 15, signalling
a major leap in modernisation of aviation infrastructure
for India. The terminal was inaugurated with great
fanfare by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling
UPA coalition chairperson Sonia Gandhi earlier
this month.
"We brought the A-380 to Delhi to show the
importance we attach to the Indian market. We
have had a healthy load factor of around 80-85
percent to India," said Majid Al Mualla,
the airline's senior vice president for West Asia
and Indian Ocean.
"We have also been growing at around 15
percent annually here. This is a very important
market and growing," Al Mualla told IANS
on board the special A-380 flight, for which an
introductory return fare of Rs.9,990 was offered
by the airline with all taxes.
The first time the A-380 landed at the Delhi
airport was on the morning of May 6, 2007, as
part of a test-cum-promotional visit for Airbus,
flying in from its headquarters at Toulouse in
France.
The 517-seat aircraft of Emirates, spread over
two decks, offered 14 flat-bed first class private
suites with electronic doors, 76 fully-flat seats
in business class and 427 contoured seats in economy
spread across four roomy cabins on the lower deck.
The aircraft is powered by four Engine Alliance
engines.
It also extended to its first and business class
passengers private suites, shower spas and an
onboard lounge with a wide range of drinks and
canapés and the space to socialise or simply
relax, officials said.
This apart, passengers in all classes can enjoy
the in-flight entertainment, that has more than
1,000 channels of on-demand, including 200 movies
from around the world, 100 television channels,
some 500 audio channels and over 100 video games.
"The experience was something difficult
to explain," said S. Shammy, an architecture
based out of Dubai. "I booked a ticket for
this expericnce. I must say, it has been a real
value for money," Shammy, busy clicking photos
all through the journey, added.
Emirates has the largest fleet of A-380s and
currently flies 11 of the aircraft that serve
destinations such as London, Toronto, Bangkok,
Paris, Jeddah, Seoul, Sydney and Auckland.
It also will fly to Beijing from Aug 1, to Manchester
from Sep 1 and resume the services to New York
from Oct 31. The airline recently inducted a brand
new A-380 into its fleet, taking the total number
of A-380s to 11.
It recently placed a $11.5 billion order with
Airbus for an additional 32 A380s, taking the
total firm order to 90 to signal the carrier's
confidence in the long-term growth of air travel.
Emirates operates 184 flights weekly to 10 Indian
cities.
(IANS)
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