Emirates to Operate One-Off Airbus A380 Flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka

An Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft will make an one-off landing at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, on Monday 14 August as the airline joins local authorities in celebration of the airport’s resurfaced runway.

The special flight, operating as EK654 from Dubai, will be the first A380 aircraft to disembark passengers in Sri Lanka after completing a commercial service.

The one-off A380 aircraft will arrive at 16:10 and be on the ground for more than six hours before it returns to Dubai as flight EK655 departing at 22:10, enabling airport executives, VIPs, trade partners and media to enjoy a guided static tour of the double-decker aircraft.

“Colombo has welcomed us from the day Emirates commenced daily flights from Dubai in 1986, just a year after the airline launched its operations,” said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, West Asia and Indian Ocean. “We are honoured to work alongside the city, airport, and the Sri Lankan Civil Aviation authorities, to bring our flagship A380 to this vibrant destination. For BIA and for aviation enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, this will certainly be a special day and we look forward to showcasing our unique on board products in this market.”

Emirates commenced operations to Sri Lanka in April 1986 and operates a total of 34 flights a week from Colombo - 27 flights westward to Malé and Dubai, and 7 eastward to Singapore connecting onwards to Melbourne, Australia.

The airline normally operates Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft on the scheduled flights serving Sri Lanka.

Since 2008, Emirates has flown over 80 million passengers on its A380 fleet.

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