Sunday, the first of May, was a day of parallels. Not only was it a day to celebrate the inaugural Emirates A380 flight to Prague, but it also happened to be the Labor Day holiday throughout most of Europe. And on this very same day Emirates would begin service from the city with the world’s largest castle complex to the city with the world’s tallest building using the world’s largest commercial airplane.

Fun fact: I calculate that it would be possible to fit twelve Emirates A380s inside the Prague castle complex, similarly, twelve A380s stacked from nose to tail would be only slightly taller than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

I arrived at Václav Havel Airport Prague around noon allowing just enough time to receive my media credentials and make my way to the gate in Terminal One which had been transitioned into a small oasis with smiling emirates cabin attendants in their trademark beige uniforms and red hats greeting each guest. Awash in the sounds of Thievery Corporation, champagne flowed and endless rounds of canapés were devoured.

With less than 30 minutes before the highly-anticipated arrival of the Emirates A380, along with select media outlets, journalists, bloggers and enthusiasts, I was ferried to the end of the runway to watch it touch down. The wind blew in strong gusts as if to announce the imminent arrival of the superjumbo to the crowds of media and enthusiasts.

Once on terra firma the giant albatross was greeted with a water cannon salute, a tradition that can be seen in newsreels dating back as far as 1936 with the arrival of the RMS Queen Mary in New York City. Back inside the gate area, Emirates execs gave speeches and the first Czech pilot of the Emirates A380 was introduced. One of the most exciting tidbits to come out of the whole day, echoing a point I have emphasized for over a decade, is the possibility of Emirates developing Prague into a focus city, similar to what it has done in Milan. From Milan, Emirates flies nonstop to New York JFK. For additional Emirates service from Prague, executives postured that the most likely candidate city would be Chicago.

Fun fact: Emirates is the largest operator of the A380 with 80 of them in its fleet. Its massive army of A380s have visited over 55 airports and regularly serve over 40 destinations around the world.

Shortly after the introductory ceremony, I was invited aboard for a tour of the two story behemoth. First class passengers enjoy their own private suites and access to the shower spa, while Business class features fully lie-flat seats and a chill bar area. Even Coach class on the Emirates A380 is surprisingly impressive given the attention to design and a color scheme that combined radiate warmth and openness. When in-flight entertainment options and wifi access are factored in, Emirates is leaps ahead of the “cattle class” offered by a majority of US and European carriers. Emirates has even created a unique online tool that enables passengers to see in advance which amenities will be available to them on the A380 from Prague to Dubai.

For a full recap of the Emirates A380 Prague Launch Event please watch my video above.

Curious to see what else is happening with the Emirates A380? Look for the hashtags #EmiratesA380 and be sure to follow my feed on Instagram where I will continue to feature images from my experience. Special thanks to Gabriela Dvořáková and the team at Best Communications for helping to coordinate my coverage of this historic event.

About the Prague (PRG) to Dubai (DXB) route

EK 140

Departs daily from Prague Terminal 1 at 15.55 and arrives Dubai Terminal 3 at 23.55 and takes six hours.

EK 139

Departs daily from Dubai Terminal 3 at 09.05 and arrives Prague Terminal 1 at 13.30 and takes a little over six hours.

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Emirates begins A380 service between Prague and Dubai