EMIRATES wrote a new chapter in the history of Indian civil aviation as its Airbus A380 landed at the newly inaugurated Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi.
With the arrival of EK 516 from Dubai, Emirates became the first international carrier to touch down a commercial A380 flight on Indian soil.
Celebrating 25 years of India operations, Emirates has played a catalytic role in enhancing economic ties between India and the UAE.
The special, one-off flight of the 517-seat A380 arrived at IGI Airport to a water cannon salute.
A senior delegation of Emirates officials led by Richard Vaughan - Emirates’ divisional senior vice president commercial operations - and Majid Al Mualla - Emirates’ senior vice president, West Asia and Indian Ocean - arrived on the special flight commissioned to celebrate the launch of the new Terminal 3.
“This is a proud moment for Emirates as we celebrate 25 years of successful operations in India, one of our most important destinations, not just in Southern Asia, but across our global network,” said Vaughan.
“We started our operations to India in 1985 with 10 flights a week and have, today, achieved a feat that no other international airline has.
“The access that the Indian government has granted over this past quarter century has allowed Emirates to invest and create a significant business by operating 184 weekly flights to 10 Indian cities.
“Today, the Emirates group employs over 10,400 Indians, which is approximately 28 per cent of our total workforce. The opportunity that India presents is one that shall help us further strengthen our ties with this country.”