WITH the company's president, Tim Clark, on the inaugural flight, Emirates Airlines made history, when its Airbus A380 landed at JFK International Airport at approximately 4.35 pm on 1 August. This was the first commercial A380 superjumbo jet to touch down on American soil. The 13.5 hour flight took off at 11am Dubai time with 489 passengers and 24 cabin crew on board.
"We are very pleased to celebrate Emirates' inaugural flight from Dubai to New York - the first commercial service to touch down in the US," said Clark.
"We have just celebrated the 60th anniversary of Kennedy International Airport. We now welcome the first service of this remarkable aircraft to the US," said Port Authority of New York and New Jersey deputy director and chief operations officer, aviation, Susan Bear.
Captain Abbas Shaban, Emirates pilot, said: "Flying the first commercial service of the Emirates A380 to the US was thrilling. Although bigger than any other civil aircraft, the A380 is smoother and quieter than any other commercial aircraft I have flown."Captain Shaban was among several other flight deck crew operating the service. He and Captain Patrick De Roeck attended the reception ceremony on arrival.
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