Jakarta. Emirates, the world's largest international airline, announced on Friday its plans to introduce its Airbus A380 aircraft to Bali, marking a historic milestone in the Southeast country's aviation history, as it will be the first scheduled service of the world's largest passenger plane to the archipelago.

The new 2-class Emirates A380 service will replace one of the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently operating the two daily services to Bali.

The new service will begin on June 1, 2023, with flight EK368 departing from Dubai International Airport at 03:25 a.m. and arriving at Denpasar International Airport at 04:35 p.m. local time. The returning flight, EK369, will depart Bali at 07:40 p.m., arriving in Dubai at 00:45 a.m. local time.

The A380 aircraft offers 58 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 557 seats in Economy Class, an onboard lounge, and Emirates' inflight entertainment system. 

Emirates Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim expressed his excitement about the launch of the A380 service to Bali. "We're excited to offer our travelers the opportunity to experience its uniqueness and unmatched beauty on flights to and from Bali," Kazim said.

Faik Fahmi, the president director of state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I, said he hoped A380 operations in Bali would boost tourism and the economy.

"We hope the A380 operations in Indonesia, especially Bali, will have an increasingly positive impact on the tourism and economy sectors and will further allow more opportunities for cooperation and investment in other sectors of the industry in Indonesia," Faik said. 

The launch would also mark a significant development in Indonesia's aviation industry, offering increased connectivity to the island and strategic markets in Southeast Asia. Emirates aims to drive more inbound traffic to Bali while providing travelers with more opportunities to connect to Dubai and beyond to cities across Europe and the Americas.

Today, Emirates airline operates 28 weekly flights to Bali and Jakarta, providing enhanced connectivity to 29 other domestic cities through its partnerships with Garuda Indonesia and Batik Air.

The A380 service to Bali is part of the Emirates' A380 network expansion to meet increasing travel demand globally. Currently, the airlines deployed the aircraft to 41 destinations, including Dubai. It is expected to expand to nearly 50 goals by the end of the summer.