Emirates starts Airbus A380 Dubai-Amsterdam flights from August

Amsterdam-bound passengers on Emirates will welcome the arrival of the airline's Airbus A380 on flights from Dubai, starting in August.

The airline currently uses a Boeing 777-300ER plane on the route, but the A380 is a step up in terms of personal space, comfort and cabin quietness, especially in business class -- where there's also a stand-up bar at the back of the A380's upper deck so you can stretch your legs en route.

Take a look at what you'll find on board in our review of Emirates' Airbus A380 business class -- and compare it to what you'll find in business on the Boeing 777

From 1 August, Amsterdam-bound flight EK147 departs Dubai at 0825, arriving in Schipol at 1330.

The return EK148 leaves at 1530 and gets into Dubai at 2359.

Westbound flights take just over 7h20, while eastbound flights are 30 minutes shorter thanks to prevailing winds.

Those timings provide connections to Amsterdam with a layover of just under three hours from the inbound A380 EK413 flight from Sydney for an all-A380 trip to Europe.

The Sydney-bound flight, however, has either a 1h40 connection on EK414 (on a less comfortable 777) or a 10h15 stop on A380 flight EK412 -- providing the possibility of a night's sleep at Dubai's transit hotel if you prefer the more comfortable A380.

Emirates' 20 A380s currently fly to Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Manchester, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Toronto. Amsterdam will become the 19th A380 destination after the superjumbo starts flying to Tokyo in July.

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.