Emirates Airlines’ superjumbo aircraft returned to the skies today (July 15) after spending about four months grounded.

Two Airbus A380s, the world’s largest commercial passenger plane, took off from Dubai International Airport this morning and headed for the United Kingdom and France.

EK001 departed for London Heathrow at 7:45 am, while the second flight bound for Paris Charles De Gaulle took to the skies at 8:20 am.

The Paris-bound aircraft will receive a special welcome on arrival in the French capital, as it is the first and only scheduled A380 flight to operate at the major European hub since the coronavirus pandemic started.

The A380 is the world’s largest and most expensive passenger airliner that can carry anywhere from around 500 to 800 people.

Emirates grounded all of its A380s in March after the coronavirus pandemic decimated travel demand. It was also in March when the UAE government suspended all regular inbound and outbound flights to stem the spread of the virus.

The long-haul operator also restarted on Wednesday additional passenger services to serve seven more cities – Athens, Barcelona, Geneva, Glasgow, Larnaca, Munich and Rome.

The airline also said that over the next two days, it will resume flights to Male (July 16), Washington DC (July 16) and Brussels (July 17).

Emirates’ network covers 50 destinations around the world. The airline has recently resumed regular services to select destinations following the easing of travel restrictions.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)

Cleofe.maceda@refinitiv.com

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