While Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport has been adding numerous destinations within France and Europe in recent months, a much more significant development has been announced that will greatly facilitate travel between the Middle East and the Riviera.
From July 1, Emirates Airlines will add a daily A380 service. While Nice currently has a daily flight from Dubai operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, the addition of the A380 represents a capacity increase of 44 percent on the route.
Emirates said that with 3,633 weekly capacity it will offer more seats to the Middle East and beyond than any other international airline. Nice is now an important part of the airline‘s global network, the airline said.
“Emirates started flying to Nice on July 15, 1994, almost 23 years ago,” Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice-President and CCO said at a press conference Thursday. “Since then, almost two million passengers have travelled with us on the route, with over 200,000 last year alone.
“We’re excited to see the city join the other 46 destinations Emirates currently serves with the A380 and look forward to being the first airline to fly this iconic aircraft to Nice. We expect the A380 service to further grow the number of leisure and business travellers that visit the South of France throughout the year.”
Flight EK77 will be operated by an A380 leaving Dubai at 8:45 am arriving in Nice at 1:40 pm. Flight EK78 will depart Nice at 3:40 pm, arriving in Dubai at 00:10 am the following day.
Since Dubai is such an important hub, passengers will enjoy optimal A380 to A380 connections in Dubai to Aukland, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, and more.
Dominique Thillaud, President, Cote d’Azur Airports, commented: “I am thrilled to welcome the A380, a prestigious and iconic aircraft. Nice will be the only city in France, other than Paris, to boast a scheduled A380 service.
“The team at Nice-Côte d’Azur Airport worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth arrival, from runway optimisation to boarding bridge modernisation. Emirates’ decision to upgrade its daily service to Nice confirms the appeal of our region, important enough to sustain a year-round long-haul flight.”
Emirates has also said it is working with Monacair to offer helicopter transfers between Nice airport and Monaco, including a limousine service from Monaco’s heliport to their final destination. The service will be complimentary to First Class passengers, €79 per passenger for Business Class and €109 per passenger for Economy Class.