Emirates A380 flight to Riyadh

Emirates will operate its first A380 service to Riyadh on September 23, marking Saudi Arabia's 81st National Day. The one-off Emirates A380 service will operate as a commercial flight to Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. "As the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is an integral part of Emirates' operations to the kingdom. The A380 is our flagship aircraft and it is fitting that we mark the occasion of the country's National Day by operating this one-of-a-kind aircraft into Riyadh," Ahmad Khoury, Emirates Senior Vice-President for the Gulf, Middle East and Iran, said in a statement. Emirates said it has been operating the A380 between Jeddah and Dubai since February 2010, with "strong demand" from business and leisure travellers in both directions. Article continues below With 15 A380s currently in its fleet, Emirates is the largest operator of the superjumbo, operating services to London, Paris, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Jeddah, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney and Auckland. Additional A380 destinations announced include Rome, Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg and Munich. Expansion: Tbilisi on flydubai radar Starting November 4 Dubai-based low cost carrier flydubai will start operating twice-a-week services to the Georgian capital Tbilisi, the carrier said yesterday in a statement, as it expands operations across Central and Eastern Europe. Tbilisi has been named the carrier's 45th destination, with flydubai becoming the only airline to offer direct flights from the UAE to the Georgian city. Flydubai said it received an official seal of approval from the Deputy Minister of Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, George Karbelashvili. Gaith Al Gaith, CEO of flydubai, said: "There are more than 55,000 expatriates from this region residing in the UAE and more than a million tourists visiting the Emirates every year. We hope our network of direct flights will play a part in making travel between the UAE and Central and Eastern Europe easier and more affordable."