Emirates going triple daily with A380s from Singapore

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	EK348 777-300ER
DXB 02:30		SIN 13:40
Duration: 07:10
	EK354 A380
DXB 03:15		SIN 14:40
Duration: 07:25
	EK352 A380
DXB 10:15		SIN 21:45
Duration: 07:30
	EK314 A380
DXB 21:00		SIN 08:30*
Duration: 07:30

* Next day

This leaves EK349/348 as the airline’s sole Singapore – Dubai service using the Boeing 777-300ER. That flight also continues to and from Phnom Penh as a “fifth freedom” extension of the route from the Lion City, now the carrier’s only such operation from Singapore after Brisbane and Melbourne tag flights were axed in recent years.

A plan to extend one of its flights from Singapore to and from Penang in 2020 was scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and has not been revisited.

Three times daily operation of the Airbus A380 by Emirates on its Singapore – Dubai flights continues into the northern summer 2026 scheduling season, at the time of writing, so this should be a permanent arrangement.

New flights won’t have the latest cabins

Unfortunately, the newly added A380 service will not feature Emirates’ refurbished Business Class or the carrier’s new Premium Economy cabin at this stage.

The aircraft operating the third daily A380 rotation will retain the airline’s older cabin configuration, meaning passengers will experience the current Business Class product rather than the enhanced version that has been rolling out across the fleet.

However, travellers seeking Emirates’ latest premium offerings won’t be entirely left out. The daily EK355/354 rotation will continue to operate with one of the carrier’s retrofitted A380s, ensuring that the refurbished Business Class with its updated seats and enhanced privacy, along with the Premium Economy cabin, remains available on the Singapore route.

This means passengers will still have daily access to these premium products, though they’ll need to specifically book on the EK355/354 flights to guarantee the upgraded experience.

Emirates A380 First Class

While there isn’t much difference between the First Class cabin on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ERs that have been flying all its services from Changi recently and those on the Airbus A380, there’s one major benefit on board the superjumbo – showers!

This gives you the rare opportunity to have a shower at 40,000ft – a novel way to freshen up before landing especially after a night flight.

Unfortunately the A380s don’t have the airline’s latest fully-enclosed Suites in First Class, which some Boeing 777-300ERs are equipped with – see our review here.

Emirates A380 Business Class

Business Class on the Emirates Airbus A380 is a big step up from the product you’ll find on the Boeing 777-300ER, with direct aisle access for all seats in this cabin, as opposed to the 2-3-2 layout.

Seats also convert into a fully-flat bed, while (amazingly) the current 777s Business Class product is still angle-flat. Emirates is finally addressing that issue – but not for the Singapore route so far.

At the back of the A380 cabin there’s also a bar section for a mid-flight tipple and snacks, which is also accessible to First Class passengers.

With none of these benefits on the 777, Emirates Business Class passengers flying to and from Singapore will definitely want to try and snag one of the three A380 flights from 27th October onwards, for a far superior experience.

Redeeming Emirates First and Business Class

It’s possible to redeem award seats on Emirates with a variety of frequent flyer programmes, but the two of most interest to our Singapore-based readers are Emirates Skywards and Qantas Frequent Flyer, since you can readily transfer credit card points into these schemes, plus they are now the only two allowing First Class redemptions.

Here are some example award rates for travel from Singapore.

Emirates First Class awards from Singapore

First Class (one-way)
FFP	Singapore Dubai	Singapore Frankfurt	Singapore New York
	98,750 +S$451	141,250 +S$861	178,750 +S$1,281
	107,700 +S$451	149,800 +S$861	227,500 +S$1,281

Unfortunately Emirates devalued some of its First Class awards last year, by removing its 25% discount for redeeming round-trip itineraries in this cabin using Skywards miles. A return now costs double the one-way redemption rate.

Emirates Business Class awards from Singapore

Business Class (one-way)
FFP	Singapore Dubai	Singapore Frankfurt	Singapore New York
	83,750 +S$451	120,000 +S$861	151,250 +S$1,281
	75,000 +S$451	104,500 +S$861	159,000 +S$1,281

Notice how taxes and fees payable on Emirates awards are now becoming slightly ridiculous, following recent increases to the airline’s fuel surcharge, which are passed on to those making redemption bookings.

For a one-way Singapore – Dubai award it now means parting with over S$450 in fees on top of the miles requirement, from around S$280 before, while a one-way redemption to Europe will now set you back S$860 in fees, from around S$630 before.

Singapore Airlines constrained by Dubai slots

Singapore Airlines, the only other carrier operating non-stop Singapore-Dubai flights, has been unable to expand beyond its single daily service due to slot constraints at Dubai International Airport. The airline’s requests for additional slots in both 2024 and 2025 were unsuccessful, blocking plans for increased frequencies.

However, SIA has recently upgauged its existing service from the Airbus A350 to the four-class Boeing 777-300ER, reintroducing First Class and Premium Economy cabins to the route.

Airbus A380 operators in Singapore

The addition of a third daily Emirates Airbus A380 service between Singapore and Dubai will increase total weekly A380 departures from Changi Airport across all carriers to 91, with Emirates accounting for a nearly quarter of all superjumbo operations.

However, this remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels of 154 weekly A380 departures from Changi, largely due to Singapore Airlines’ significant reduction of its superjumbo fleet during COVID-19.

Here’s how A380 operations at Changi will look after Emirates upgauges its service, based on early November 2025 schedules, compared to December 2019, before the pandemic hit.

British Airways briefly returned its A380s to Singapore between April 2024 and June 2025, but has since reverted to mixed Boeing 777-300ER / 787-9 operation on its flights.

Lufthansa has never returned its A380 to Singapore since the pandemic, though Etihad is a new superjumbo operator at Changi, since February 2025.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Emirates is dedicating its strongest ever A380 commitment to Singapore from October 2025, with three out of four daily services set to utilise the superjumbo.

The move upgrades the carrier’s EK315/314 rotation from Boeing 777-300ER to A380 service, giving passengers a significantly better onboard experience, particularly in Business Class with direct aisle access and fully-flat beds – not to mention showers in First Class.

While the newly added A380 won’t initially feature the airline’s latest Premium Economy or refurbished Business Class products, travellers can still access those products on the existing daily EK355/354 service.

This capacity enhancement positions Emirates as the second-largest A380 operator at Changi Airport, accounting for nearly a quarter of all superjumbo departures each week, and comes as Singapore Airlines remains constrained to a single daily Dubai service due to slot limitations, effectively ceding ground to Emirates in this market.

(Cover Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock)