World’s largest airliner returns to Birmingham as Gulf carriers boost capacity

The biggest plane in the world is coming back to Birmingham airport as airlines from the Gulf increase the number of available seats.

Starting this Saturday, Emirates will once again employ its 615-seater Airbus A380s for one of its two daily round trips between the airport in the West Midlands and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This marks the first return of these aircrafts since the onset of the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

During the peak of the pandemic, most of the A380 airplanes worldwide were stored away, leading to speculation that they might not be reintroduced as newer and more fuel-efficient planes exist.

However, the aircraft's capacity to accommodate a greater number of individuals compared to other planes in the commercial sector is aiding their resurgence.

In the meantime, the airline Saudia is set to initiate operations at Birmingham airport beginning from this Sunday. The airline will be offering three round trips per week to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

After being away for three years due to the ongoing virus situation, Qatar Airways is set to resume operations at the airport from July 6. They will be offering daily flights to Doha, Qatar.

Birmingham airport is striving for these actions to encourage more travelers to consider it as a viable option instead of the terminals in London.

It anticipates accommodating approximately 12.5 million travelers in the ongoing fiscal year and intends to surpass that number by increasing it to over 18 million annually within the next ten years.

The top official of the airport, Nick Barton, expressed that our business and leisure customers have never had such great access to the Middle East.

Emirates, Qatar, and Saudia are prominent international airlines that provide direct connections from Birmingham airport to their central airports. These airlines have extensive networks that cater to different regions such as Australasia, Africa, and the Far East.

According to Mr Barton, there are several renowned companies such as Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Accenture, and HSBC that have recently set up their main offices in Birmingham.

He continued: "Emirates, Qatar, and Saudia view Birmingham and the West Midlands as a British area populated by six million individuals, possessing an economy equivalent to that of Hungary, on a promising path of development, and with untapped future economic possibilities."

The appeal of the West Midlands becomes even more appealing when we take into account the possibilities presented by the upcoming HS2 railway. This new railway system, set to be operational in the early 2030s, will directly link London to Birmingham airport terminal in an unbelievably short time of just 32 minutes.

"We are thrilled to reintroduce our famous A380 aircraft to Birmingham," expressed Richard Jewsbury, VP of Emirates UK.

The comeback will facilitate seamless connections for a greater number of travelers to sought-after distant locations such as Thailand, Australia, and, of course, the lively metropolis of Dubai during the summer season and beyond.

In addition to addressing the growing needs of customers, businesses in the area can fully utilize the cargo space available.

"We are immensely pleased about our collaboration with Birmingham airport and our continuous dedication to the broader Midlands area."