Emirates has received the newest Airbus A380, the first of three superjumbo deliveries slated for the year.

The remaining A380s are scheduled to land in Dubai later this month, one of which will feature the carrier’s “Premium Economy” offering in the coming months, a statement said on Monday.

The long-haul operator grounded its fleet of superjumbos during the global lockdown in March. Since the resumption of flights, the double-decker aircraft has been re-deployed only on a limited number of routes, including Cairo, Amman, Paris, London, Guangzhou, Manchester and Moscow.

Emirates is the largest A380 operator with now 116 double-deckers in its fleet. It has said the aircraft will continue to be its flagship for the next several years, even as a growing number of carriers have opted to retire their own A380s.

With its A380 fleet expanding, the airline has also shared plans to introduce a “Premium Economy” experience to its flyers aboard the superjumbo.

“With the space and technology on this aircraft, we’ve been able to introduce new concepts onboard that have transformed the flying experience for the better. We look forward to introducing our Premium Economy experience, which will make its debut on and A380 in the coming months,” said Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline.

Emirates’ new A380 touched down in Dubai on Saturday morning after a flight powered by a blend of conventional jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel. The journey marked the first time the airline is using biofuel produced from used cooking oil in Finland to power an A380.

“Sustainability remains very much on our agenda at Emirates. We are watching developments in sustainable   aviation fuel very closely, and we look forward to a time when it can be produced at scale and in a cost competitive manner,” Clark said.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)

Cleofe.maceda@refinitiv.com

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