Emirates is to further boost its fast-growing US network with the start of a second daily A380 service to New York JFK.

From 1st January 2013, EK203 from Dubai to JFK, and its return sector EK204, will become A380 flights, offering an increased capacity of almost 1,000 additional seats in both directions every week. The service is currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.

“Emirates is experiencing very high demand for its New York flights and the start of a daily A380 service to JFK will enable us to offer more choice for our customers to benefit from the Emirates A380 experience,” said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President of Passenger Sales Worldwide. “Given the popularity of this giant aircraft, known for its quietness, spaciousness and award-winning on-board product, we are confident that this news will be well-received by our customers travelling to 17 destinations in the Middle East, 21 African destinations including major hubs in east Africa, 20 destinations in the Far East and Australasia and 10 destinations in India.”

“We have continued to invest in our services by increasing our capacity to build on the resurgent demand for air travel within the United States and we are seeing this strategy pay dividends. Further investment in our hub, with the planned opening of the world’s first dedicated A380 concourse will coincide with the second JFK A380 service,” continued Mr Antinori. Spread over two decks, the remarkably quiet aircraft provides 399 seats in Economy Class, 76 flat beds in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites – next to two Onboard Shower Spas. Available to all premium class passengers on the upper deck is a popular Onboard Lounge, offering space to unwind, enjoy a drink and socialise with fellow passengers.

Amongst its 175 aircraft in operation, Emirates has the world’s largest fleet of A380s with 21 which currently serve Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Manchester, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Toronto. Tokyo and Amsterdam will join the A380 network in July and August respectively.

Winner of over 500 international awards, Emirates’ unique service offering includes complimentary chauffeur-driven airport transfers for premium customers and an inflight entertainment system featuring over 1,200 channels of new release Hollywood movies, TV, music and games.

The Emirates Lounge at JFK Airport was named one of the Top Airport Lounges in North America by Frommer’s Travel Guides in 2011. The lounge, which is available to First Class and Business Class customers as well as Skywards Gold members, offers a spacious and luxurious seating area, a selection of fine food and beverages to suit any palate, shower facilities, complimentary massages and a fully-equipped Business Centre with independent work stations and complimentary broadband and wireless internet access.

Customers travelling to and from the United States can also benefit from Emirates’ partnerships with Jet Blue, American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines. Passengers connecting to or from Emirates’ U.S. flights from these airlines will enjoy a range of benefits, including one-stop check in and checked through baggage.

From 1st January 2013, Flight EK203 will be operated by an A380 aircraft departing Dubai (DXB) at 02:00, arriving New York (JFK) at 07:20 the same day. EK204 departs JFK at 1040, arriving Dubai at 08:10 the following day.

So far in 2012, Emirates has launched two new U.S. gateways - Dallas/Fort Worth and Seattle. Flights to Washington Dulles International Airport will start on 12th September. Emirates’ network currently encompasses 123 cities globally. So far this year, the airline has started services to Dublin, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Dallas/ Fort Worth, Seattle, Lusaka, Harare and Ho Chi Minh City. Flights to Barcelona and Lisbon will join the Emirates’ network on July 3rd and July 9th respectively, while flights to Erbil, Iraq will start on 12th August.