Emirates has become the first airline to launch a regular Airbus A380 service to Mauritius. The 517-seat, double-decker aircraft touched down at the Indian Ocean island’s Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport this week, carrying a high-level delegation including Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ chief commercial officer. The aircraft was met on arrival in Mauritius by Michael Sik Yuen, the country’s Minister of Tourism & Leisure, Andre Viljoen, CEO of Air Mauritius, Anand Kinnoo, Mauritius’ acting director of civil aviation, and Rohit Ramnawaz, chairman of Airport of Mauritius. The occasion was also marked by the creation of a large ‘Hello A380′ greeting sign, built using traditional Mauritian fishing boats in the Blue Bay Reserve Marine Park. “Since August 2008 Emirates has served over 18 million passengers on our A380s. Our customers love it, and we continue to see a big demand to fly on the aircraft,” said Antinori. “Our A380 service to Mauritius means passengers from key markets such as London, Paris, Moscow and Shanghai, flying via our hub in Dubai, now have the chance to experience a seamless Emirates A380 experience.” The deployment of the A380, replacing the Boeing 777-300, will offer 153 extra seats per sector on the Dubai-Mauritius route. Flights will depart Dubai International Airport at 0310, arriving in Mauritius at 0940. The return leg will depart at 1820, getting back into Dubai at 0110 the next day. Emirates will continue to operate a second daily flight to the country using a B777. Mauritius becomes Emirates 24th A380 destination. Source: Travel Daily