Everyone knows that Emirates is overwhelmingly the world’s largest Airbus A380 operator. According to ch-aviation, it has 116 double-decker quadjets, although not all of them are operational. Many configurations are available, from just 468 seats in a four-class layout to 615 in a two-class config. In several cases, the difference in the number of seats is minimal.
Emirates introduced premium economy to its A380 fleet in 2021. When writing, 40 out of its 116 superjumbos have a four-class layout. Three different capacities are available: 468, 484, and 487 seats. More on its lowest-capacity superjumbo later in the article.
Where Emirates’ 4-Class A380s Are Flying: October To December
Dubai is the world’s second-busiest airport for widebody activity and the third-busiest facility for long-haul flights. Analysis of schedules using Cirium Diio for October to December indicates that Emirates will use its four-class A380s—whether the 468, 484, or 487 seater—to the 24 airports shown above. Christchurch flights run via Sydney, while one of Emirates’ three daily New York JFK services is via Milan Malpensa.
Some of the airports will welcome four-class equipment for the first time. For example, Perth will do so on October 19, 2025, with the frequency on that Australian route halving to a daily service on October 26. Emirates’ daily operation to JFK via Milan will switch from three-class superjumbos to frames equipped with premium economy on November 10.
The Top 5 Destinations With Emirates’ 4-Class A380s
The list of top destinations might be unsurprising, particularly the first four places. London Heathrow continues to have by far the most four-class superjumbo services. Four of its six daily departures are on it. The other two flights deploy 517 and 519-seat A380s, neither of which has premium economy. The lack of this class is counterbalanced by having significantly more economy seats.
The 468, 484, and 487-seat configs are deployed to Heathrow, although not necessarily for the entire quarter. For example, the 468-seater is currently only scheduled through October 25. It is on EK7 to the UK’s busiest airport (it arrives at 07:05), and is on EK8 back (it leaves at 09:05). They’ll then switch to the 487-seater, with more economy seats available.
Like Heathrow, A380s with premium economy are used on two-thirds of Emirates’ flights to Melbourne, Sydney, and Milan. In contrast, only one of the Big Apple’s departures will be on it through November 9 (EK203/EK204). The next day, passengers will be able to select premium economy on two of its three daily services (nonstop and one-stop). From December 1, all three daily flights will have it.
Where The 468-Seat A380 Will Fly
When writing, Emirates has six frames with 468 seats, which feature its latest product. They were reconfigured in 2025. They have fewer seats than any of its other superjumbo configurations. There are 14 seats in first (1-2-1), 76 in business (1-2-1), 56 in premium economy (2-4-2; 40″), and just 322 in economy (3-4-3; 32″).
