Emirates to launch the world’s shortest A380 flight -which will last just 75 minutes

Emirates is to launch the world’s shortest scheduled A380 flight, which will cover 211 miles and last just 75 minutes.

From July 1, the airline will operate the superjumbo jet on twice daily services between its hub in Dubai and Muscat International Airport in Oman.

The A380s flying the route will be operated in a three-class configuration and be able to carry a total of 519 passengers.

There will be 429 seats in economy on the lower deck as well as 76 flat bed seats in business class and 14 first class private suites on the upper deck.

The Dubai-based airline says that passengers in all three classes will be able to enjoy its in-flight entertainment system and ‘savour regionally inspired meals’.

The A380 has a range of 8,000 nautical miles and is usually used on long-haul services.

The distance covered by the flight is actually shorter than the length of the 310 miles of wiring in an A380 if it was laid out end to end.

The route between Dubai and Muscat is currently operated using a Boeing 777. 

The launch of the A380 flights will come exactly one year after a one-off A380 service to Muscat that marked Emirates 25 years of operations to Oman.

Emirates says that the deployment of the double-decker aircraft will offer business and leisure travellers from Muscat ‘even more connection opportunities for a seamless all-A380 journey to business hubs such as New York, London, Mumbai and Hong Kong as well as popular destinations like Los Angeles, Paris, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore’. 

Following the recent launch of the first regular A380 service to Glasgow, an ‘all A380’ journey to Oman is now also possible from Scotland. 

The A380s flying the route will be operated in a three-class configuration and be able to carry a total of 519 passengers. Pictured is an Emirates A380 on its last visit to Muscat

Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, divisional senior vice president at Emirates’ commercial operations centre, said: ‘The introduction of the A380 services to Muscat means more of our customers will have the opportunity to experience our industry-leading products onboard, and will also enhance choice and travel preferences as they plan their journeys.

‘Oman is an important destination for Emirates, and we will continue to look at ways to grow our operations in the market to best serve our customers. We thank Muscat International Airport and the government authorities for their support in making the A380 double daily operations happen.’

Sheikh Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni, CEO, Oman Airports said: ‘From its side, Muscat International Airport has demonstrated its readiness for this extraordinary event, and the arrival of these scheduled flights for this giant aircraft is a gain to prove the large airport capacity to accommodate an aircraft of this size.’

Emirates’ morning flight will depart Dubai at 8.25am, arriving in Muscat at 9.40am. The return flight will depart Muscat at 11.15am, arriving in Dubai at 12.25pm.

Emirates’ late afternoon flight will depart Dubai at 4.10pm and will arrive in Muscat at 5.25pm. It will then depart Muscat at 7.05pm, arriving in Dubai at 8.15pm.

Following the recent launch of the first regular A380 service to Glasgow, an ‘all A380′ journey to Oman is now also possible from Scotland. Pictured is Emirates’ A380 in Muscat last year 

The world’s shortest flight is between Westray and Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands and takes just 90 seconds. The service is operated by Loganair on an aircraft that has eight seats.

The longest flight in the world is operated by Singapore Airlines from Singapore to New York and takes around 18 hours. The route is 9,534 miles and crosses 12 time zones.

Earlier this year, Airbus, which manufacturers the A380, announced it would be halting production of the jets due to falling order numbers.

More than 100 out of the 230 super jumbos that have rolled off the production line are operated by Emirates.

The last remaining A380 orders will be delivered in 2021.