Emirates makes history with one-off A380 touchdown in Islamabad By: Khurram Zia Khan
The Emirates A380 touched down in
Islamabad today for a historic one-off service to Islamabad International
Airport. This was the first time ever that the iconic double-decker aircraft
has landed in Pakistan.
The Emirates A380 touched down in Islamabad today
The special Emirates A380 flight was operated by UAE national, Capt Abbas Shaban, Chief Pilot of Technical Operations and Pakistani national, First Officer Qadir Moin.
The landing demonstrated the airport’s readiness to accommodate the A380, the world’s largest commercial passenger jet.
Upon landing at 1210hrs at
Islamabad International Airport, the aircraft was met with a ceremonial water
cannon salute, and the Emirates delegation was welcomed by government officials
and Islamabad International Airport executives.
After a welcoming ceremony, government officials, VIPs, media and
members of the travel industry were given a guided tour of the A380 by Emirates
cabin crew.
Upon landing at Islamabad International Airport, the A380 aircraft was met with a ceremonial water cannon salute
The special flight, operating as
EK 2524, was joined by a VIP delegation led by Sheikh Majid Al Mualla,
Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Centre and
Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, GMEI
(Gulf, Middle East and Iran). They were joined by His Excellency Hamad Obaid
Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan and His Excellency
Moazzam Ahmad Khan, Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE. Also travelling on the
flight as special guests were two Pakistani members of Emirates’ first ever
team, Captain Fazle Ghani, the airline’s first Chief Pilot and Team Lead for
Inaugural Operations and Captain Ejaz ul Haq, one of the pilots who operated
the first ever Emirates flights from Dubai 33 years ago.
At special flight of Emirates A380,A VIP delegation led by Sheikh Majid
Al Mualla, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial
Operations, Centre was present . They were joined by Adil Al Gaith - SVP Commericial
Operations GMEI, His Excellency Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi,
the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, His Excellency Moazzam Ahmad Khan,
Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE . Also travelling on the flight as
special guests were two Pakistani members of Emirates’ first ever team,
Captain Fazle Ghani, the airline’s first Chief Pilot and Team Lead for
Inaugural Operations and Captain Ejaz ul Haq, one of the pilots who
operated the first ever Emirates flights from Dubai 33 years ago.They
were all welcomed by Jabr Al-Azeeby, Emirates Vice-President Pakistan.
Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’
Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Centre said: “We are
proud to have operated this special A380 flight to Islamabad, the first time
ever that our flagship aircraft has landed in Pakistan. The Emirates A380 is
fundamental to our overall strategy, and bringing this popular aircraft to
Islamabad represents a significant milestone in our operations to Pakistan, a
country we flew our first ever flight to in 1985. We are very keen to now
launch a scheduled A380 service to Pakistan and will continue to work with
authorities to make these plans a reality.”
Emirates and Pakistan have a long-standing
relationship that spans over 30 years, when the airline’s first flight flew
from Dubai to Karachi on 25 October 1985. Since then, Emirates has grown
exponentially in Pakistan, and today the airline operates 71 weekly flights
between Dubai and six cities in Pakistan: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar,
Sialkot and Multan, offering Pakistani travellers convenient access to over 150
global destinations. Emirates also employs over 5,000 Pakistani nationals as
Flight Deck crew, Cabin Crew and in various others positions across the
airline.
Hundreds of passengers travelled
on the special flight, many of whom had made their bookings specially for this
unique flight. The passengers on board began their journeys from 25 countries
reflecting Emirates’ global mix of customers who will benefit from this route.
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