Emirates goes all-A380 for Sydney flights

Fourteen hours between Sydney and Dubai is a long haul indeed, but doing it on an Airbus A380 – especially in business or first class – makes the marathon so much more bearable.

And from early November 2023, Emirates will shift all three of its daily flights into Sydney to the superjumbo as the Gulf carrier and Qantas partner continues to rebuild its Australian network.

Saturday November 4 sees EK416 from Dubai to Sydney shift from a Boeing 777 to an A380, with the EK417 return leg gaining superjumbo status on Sunday November 5.

However, unlike its EK412/EK413 and  EK414/EK415 siblings, this extra A380 won’t include a premium economy cabin.

All of Emirates Sydney-bound A380s feature 14 enclosed first class suites and 76 business class seats, which are well suited to the trek between Australia and Dubai, where the airline offers a slew of connections to the UK, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Emirates' Airbus A380 first class suite.

First class flyers will be happy to find the two shower suites still in operation – it's still among the most indulgent experiences you can enjoy on a commercial aircraft.

Every Emirates A380 also features that iconic cocktail bar towards the rear of the upper deck, either in its original 2008 form...

The original Emirates A380 inflight bar, circa 2008.

... or the classier 2017 edition, which the airline says was "inspired by private yacht cabins."

Emirates' glammed-up second-gen A380 inflight bar.

To see how Emirates first class and business class compare, read our review of the unique Sydney-Christchurch leg of EK412/EK413, which sees the superjumbo making this quick three-hour dash across the pond for roughly the same price as the Qantas Boeing 737.

It’s an especially good way to use Qantas Points: one-way in Emirates A380 business class will set you back just 43,800 Qantas Points, with first class at 64,500 Qantas Points (with $182 in fees and charges for either ticket).

Emirate has over 120 superjumbos in its globe-striding fleet and doesn’t plan to start retiring them until 2032, although to the delight of passengers they’ll continue to fly well into the next decade.

In addition to Sydney’s superjumbo surge, Emirates also intends to begin flying its all-new Airbus A350 to Adelaide in mid-2024.