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’ 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.
“Melbourne is where our Australian story began and it remains central to everything we do in this market,” said Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia (pictured, above left).
“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.
“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.”
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.
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.
The route’s 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.
Today, 56 of Emirates’ 70 weekly Australia–Dubai services operate with the airline’s latest next-generation products and refreshed cabins, delivering more than 5,000 weekly premium economy seats across all five Australian gateways.
