Emirates Replaces Boeing 777 with Airbus A380 on Dubai-Casablanca Route

Emirates has replaced its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with Airbus A380 planes for its daily service between Dubai and Casablanca. Larger aircraft are required due to increasing travel demand in and out of Morocco. To celebrate the first flight with the A380, the plane was decorated with livery showcasing the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

[DXB,CMN]

The livery was chosen because it represents "Dubai's newest definitive marvel, architectural icon, and centre for pioneering concepts and ideas."
 

Emirates has been operating flights between the UAE and Morocco for 21 years. The EK 751 flight departs from Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 7:30 am and arrives at Mohamed V International Airport (CMN) in Casablanca at 11:55 am. The EK 752 flight leaves Casablanca at 2:45 pm and arrives in Dubai at 1:15 am the next day.

The new service was well-received by representatives from Morocco's aviation industry and the government of the UAE. The officials that welcomed the A380 included UAE Ambassador to Morocco Al Asri Al Dhaheri, UAE Consul General in Morocco Omar Abdulrahman Al Tunaji, and Emirates Country Manager for Morocco Khalfan Al-Salami.

Emirates said, "The return of A380 services underscores [the airline's] long-standing commitment to the country, boosting inbound traffic and supporting the tourism recovery of the country".

Morocco is looking to revive its tourism industry after being significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The revival has been going well, with almost 11 million people visiting Morocco in 2022. The country saw 2.9 million tourists in the first quarter of 2023, which is a 17% increase from the same time period in 2019. Morocco's goal is to attract 26 million annual tourists by 2030.

The A380 aircraft is attractive to airlines because it can carry more passengers than the Boeing 777. Since Morocco is a popular travel destination, more people will now have the opportunity to visit through the country's main airport in Casablanca.
 

The A380 offers 14 suites in first class and 76 lie-flat seats in business class in a select configuration. Passengers flying in first and business class will additionally have the opportunity to use the airline's chauffeur drive service in Morocco.

Emirates is looking to expand the number of routes that use its A380 aircraft as global travel demand returns to pre-pandemic levels. The airline currently operates the A380 to 43 destinations and plans to expand to multiple other cities over the next few months.