DUBAI – Emirates is cutting capacity on its New York route due to reduced travel demand by replacing the A380 superjumbo with a smaller aircraft, but said the change does not mean an overall reduction in services to the United States.
Gulf News reported that in the new schedule for the A380, the airline will introduce the double-decker plane to serve its Bangkok and Toronto routes.
Starting June, the aircraft will debut in Canada while the new Thai route extends the aircraft’s presence in Asia after the successful launch of the A380 to Sydney and Auckland in February, Emirates said.
“As the global economy has affected international air travel, this aircraft redeployment was based solely on a change in capacity demands in these three markets,” a company spokesperson said.
The A380 will be replaced by the B777-300ER on the New York route, decreasing daily capacity by 132 seats.
“When economic conditions improve, we anticipate demand will be restored on the Dubai-New York JFK service, at which time Emirates will certainly evaluate redeploying the A380 on this route,” the airline said.
Emirates, the biggest customer for Airbus’ A380 superjumbo, says it still has confidence in the jetliner despite some concerns about its reliability.
The Middle East’s largest carrier also said it is in talks with the European plane maker about the timing of deliveries for future A380s, but insists it has financing in place for all aircraft purchases until next summer.
