Emirates' A380 made its debut at Cairo International Airport (CAI) on wednesday as the airline brought its popular aircraft to Egypt for the first time.

The landing demonstrated the airport's readiness to accommodate the A380, the world's largest commercial passenger jet. Welcomed with a ceremonial water cannon salute, the A380 flight was led by Egyptian Captain Hesham Essawy and UAE National First Officer Abdullah Alyammahi. The flight was welcomed by key officials including General Ahmed Maher Geneina, chairman of Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, and Ahmed Fawzy, chairman of the Cairo Airport Authority. Travelling on the flight from Dubai was Adel Al Redha, Emirates' chief operating officer, as well as prominent members from the UAE business community.

"This day has been in the making for some time, and the Emirates A380's grand debut in Cairo is the culmination of a lot of planning and hard work. We mark a new chapter in our long-relationship with Egypt by bringing our flagship aircraft to the country. We hope to play a part in Egypt's success by supporting trade and tourism, and bringing the country closer to the world. We would like to thank the Egyptian government, the Ministry of Transport and the government authorities who have been invaluable in making Emirates' first A380 service a tremendous success. We look forward to operating the A380 on a scheduled basis to and from Cairo," said Adel Al Redha.

The Emirates A380 operating to Cairo is set in a three-class configuration, and will have 426 seats in Economy Class on the lower deck, 76 flat-bed Business Class seats and 14 luxurious First Class Suites. First Class passengers can relax and revitalise in one of the two A380 Shower Spas, and First and Business Class passengers are welcome in the Onboard Lounge to enjoy an extensive range of beverages and delicacies.

Emirates started operations to Cairo in April 1986 with three flights a week and since then, has carried more than 7.3 million passengers to and from Cairo. Operations have steadily grown with increases in both frequency and capacity between Cairo and Dubai to match customer demand. Today, Emirates operates 21 weekly flights between Cairo and Dubai. Earlier this year, Emirates announced it will increase the frequency of flights between Dubai and Cairo, adding four additional flights a week to its existing thrice-daily service, starting October 28, 2019, taking the total number of weekly Emirates flights serving Cairo to 25. Globally, the airline employs more than 2,000 Egyptian nationals in a variety of roles across the Emirates Group, including over 1,000 cabin crew.

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