An Emirates Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner, landed on Tuesday on its first scheduled flight to Istanbul Airport.

It launched the aviation giant’s daily scheduled flights between Dubai and Istanbul Airport using the iconic double-decker aircraft, offering four different classes.

The carrier had previously announced that it would begin daily A380 flights to Istanbul from October 1.

A VIP delegation, led by Majid al Mualla, Division Senior Vice President, International Affairs, and Adil al Ghaith, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations (Gulf, Middle East and Central Asia) were on board Tuesday’s flight. .

Speaking on recent developments, al Ghaith said: “Emirates has been keen to bring the A380 to Istanbul’s fantastic new airport since it opened.”

“We are delighted to finally see our flagship in this beautiful city, as it joins many other top destinations that we currently serve with the A380,” he said.

Al Ghaith also noted that Turkey is a critically important market for Emirates and Istanbul was one of the very first destinations they visited in their early years.

Emirates made its first flight to Turkey on July 31, 1987, between Dubai and Istanbul. Today it operates 17 flights per week to and from Istanbul.

“From 1987 to today, we have carried 6 million customers on more than 23,000 flights,” he said.

“The arrival of A380 service in Turkey is an important milestone for Emirates. I would like to thank again the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority, which has helped immensely in working with all stakeholders to make today’s A380 landing in Istanbul a reality. ” he said.

The Dubai-based airliner, along with the iconic aircraft, now offers a total of 517 seats, with 14 private suites in first class, 76 mini pods with reclining seats in business class and 427 spacious seats in economy class, increasing the capacity per flight of more than 150 passengers compared to the current Boeing 777-300ER.

The double-decker A380 is the world’s largest commercial aircraft in service and while Emirates is the largest A380 operator with 118 currently in its fleet.

Meanwhile, Istanbul Airport also hosted the world’s largest cargo plane, the Antonov An-225, on the same day. The cargo plane “Mriya”, landed at Istanbul airport at 12 noon to refuel.

The An-225 took off from the Ukrainian capital Kiev in early October for a series of flights. He flew to Almaty, Kazakhstan and from there to Tianjin, China, the first stop on his commercial flight.

On his return trip from Tianjin, he landed at Istanbul Airport for refueling on Tuesday. The plane, which carried polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, took off for Linz, Austria, after staying at Istanbul airport for about two hours.

Production of the Antonov An-225 was completed in 1988. An improved model of the An-124, the An-225 was produced to transport the Soviet space shuttle Buran.

Only one of these devices, used for freight transport, has been produced so far. Currently operated by Antonov, the aircraft is used to carry loads of large size and weight.

The giant six-engine plane has a wingspan of 88 meters and a length of 84 meters, making it the largest cargo plane in the world. The aircraft has an empty weight of 285 tonnes and a maximum take-off weight of 640 tonnes.

With a range of 15,400 kilometers, the An-225, which beat “Dreamlifter” and “Beluga” type planes, can reach speeds of 850 kilometers per hour (528.17 miles per hour).

Istanbul Airport is the 2nd best in the world

Istanbul Airport came second in the list of “World’s Best Airports” prepared for the “Readers’ Choice Awards 2021” announced by travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler, which is one of the publications of most prestigious trips in the world.

Over 800,000 Conde Nast Traveler readers from around the world have sent tens of thousands of ratings and reviews, sharing their latest travel experiences on top hotels, resorts, cities, countries, islands, spas, trains , car rental services, airlines and airports. as part of the investigation.

According to the survey results, Istanbul Airport entered the list in second place after Singapore Airport (SIN), leaving behind airports like Tokyo Narita (NRT), Seoul Incheon (ICN), Doha (DOH), Dubai (DXB), Marrakech (RAK), Athens (ATH), Zurich (ZRH) and London Heathrow (LHR).

Based in New York and London, Conde Nast operates in 32 markets including China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Latin America, Russia, Spain , Taiwan, UK, and US, with additional licensing partners worldwide.