Dubai’s international airline Emirates operated a one-off service of its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on July 19.

The arrival of the A380 follows the recent completion of enhancements at the airport to make it compatible with the double-decker aircraft.

A ceremony featuring the attendance of Fan Chih-Ku, Administrative Deputy Minister of Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), David Fei, president and CEO of Taoyuan International Airport Corporation and Emirates senior executives, took place shortly after Emirates flight EK366 landed and the aircraft arrived at gate C2.

“Emirates is honoured to be the first airline to land the A380 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Taiwan is an important market for Emirates, and we’ve witnessed increased demand from passengers since we began daily flights between Dubai and Taipei in February 2014. We’re pleased to have the opportunity to showcase our state-of-the-art on-board products and services to passengers in Taiwan,” said Edwin Lau, Emirates’ vice president, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Guangzhou.

“I am honoured to welcome the arrival of the Emirates A380 aircraft. Taoyuan Airport Corporation and all my colleagues share in the glory of today’s event,” said Fei, president and CEO of Taoyuan International Airport Corporation.

“This event is the result of a year of preparations and we are proud to welcome the A380, which demonstrates Taoyuan Airport’s high quality facilities, equipment, and operational readiness,” Fei concluded.

“Thanks to the growing number of international passengers, major airlines such as Emirates come in succession to operate in Taiwan. This growth is testament to the ever-increasing standard of service at Taoyuan Airport, which is in line with some of the leading airports in the world,” said Fan Chih-Ku.

After the welcoming ceremony, an onboard guided tour of the A380 took place for all attendees, which included Taiwan government authorities, media, and honourable guests of the travel industry.

Emirates fleet of 64 A380s serves 34 global destinations and 11 in the Far East, which include Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Perth, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai and Sydney. – TradeArabia News Service