Emirates Debuts the World’s Largest Passenger Plane

Last weekend at the Dubai Airshow, Emirates unveiled its new Airbus A380, which will be capable of accommodating 615 passengers at a time. The Airbus A380 is the largest commercial aircraft in the world before this redesign and was already capable of carrying 530 passengers. So how did Emirates make room for the extra 85 passengers? They got rid of first class.

The newly designed aircraft is now only offering two classes—economy and business— in order to free up room for more passengers. The spacious first class seating is gone and even business class has been “trimmed” with the removal of 18 seats, leaving 58 flat-bed seats in business class. The other 557 seats are left for the economy class, which will be enjoying the same amount of legroom and slightly wider entertainment screens.

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So let’s do the math. With 17 bathrooms on board, that’s one for every 36 people and even with the airline’s double-decker design, having to board 615 passengers on to one aircraft will take some time. Thankfully, Emirates’ Onboard Lounge is here to stay, so you can grab a drink to wind down—that is if you don’t mind waiting on what could be a very long line.

Is 615 passengers too many? What do you think?

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Jamie Ditaranto is a writer and photographer who is always looking for her next adventure. Follow her on Twitter @jamieditaranto.

(Photo: Emirates)