United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrier Emirates Airline celebrated the delivery of two more Airbus A380s earlier this month at it grew its fleet of the Super Jumbo to 44. The aircraft type is playing a key role in the fast-expanding carrier’s network strategy, allowing it to boost capacity into a mix of business and leisure markets and further enhancing its global connectivity via its Dubai International Airport hub.

The two aircraft were officially handed over to Emirates at Airbus’ Hamburg Finkenwerder delivery centre on December 21, 2014. They are configured with 14 seats in First Class, 76 seats in Business Class and 427 seats in Economy Class, and were put into service on December 21, 2013, initially operating on flights to Mauritius and Munich.

“Our customers love the A380 - from the quieter cabins and spacious layout on the main deck, to the on-board lounge and shower spas in our premium cabins. It is a beautiful aircraft which we have packed full of the best inflight comforts and products. From an operator standpoint, the A380 is still one of the most fuel efficient aircraft per seat. It offers us some flexibility in range and also helps us to meet demand at slot-constrained airports,” said Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline.

Emirates operates the world’s largest fleet of A380s, flying one in three of these modern jets in the skies today. Emirates was the first airline to order the aircraft back in 2000, and it ordered another 50 more at the Dubai Air Show just last month. In 2013, Emirates received 13 A380 aircraft and it expects to receive another 13 in 2014. The airline still has 96 more A380s worth $43 billion on order, of which 71 are expected to be delivered over the next five years, before the end of 2018.

From its Dubai hub and dedicated A380 terminal, Emirates’ A380s crisscross the globe flying to 24 destinations spanning Los Angeles to Auckland. Illustrating the range of the A380, Emirates’ currently operates the world’s longest non-stop A380 service (13,414 kilometers), with its daily A380 flight between Dubai and Los Angeles, launched earlier this month. Emirates’ shortest A380 flight is between Bangkok and Hong Kong, clocking 1,900 kilometers.

Emirates’ current A380 destinations are: Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Los Angeles, Manchester, Mauritius, Melbourne, Moscow, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney, Toronto, and Brisbane. It will start operating scheduled A380 services to Zurich from January 2014.