Emirates Airline notched up yet another first as it operated the world’s first A380 commercial service from Dubai to Australia and New Zealand. Sydney and Auckland became the third and fourth destinations to join Emirates’ rapidly-expanding A380 network.

Taking off from its new home – Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport – EK 412 arrived in Sydney and Auckland to a rousing welcome. Emirates A380 will operate from Dubai to Sydney and across the Tasman to Auckland every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The new A380 service also heralds a new era for flights Down Under as it adopted a host of green measures to maximise its environmental efficiency. The green best-practice demonstration flight employed new technology and multi-government co-operation to create ultra-efficient flexible routings and to minimise fuel burn.

Emirates operates flights from Dubai to Malta on a daily schedule with a stopover in Larnaca, Cyprus. The Malta route gives a convenient connection to outgoing and incoming passengers from Australia and the Far East.