The aviation world's first A380 operation to Seoul, and Emirates' first A380 flight to North East Asia touched down to a vibrant and colourful welcome at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday.

The first commercial A380 jet to land on Korean soil brought with it passengers from 27 countries including the U.A.E., Bahrain, Qatar, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the UK, and over 10 tonnes of cargo.

The new service demonstrates Emirates' investment in the Korean economy, perfectly timed to support "Visit Korea Year" in 2010. It will operate initially on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, advancing to a daily operation from December 27.

A high-level Emirates delegation led by Tim Clark, President, Emirates airline, travelled on the first A380 flight. Mr. Clark noted: "Emirates is delighted to launch Korea's first A380 service. Air transportation is a key facilitator of economic growth. Since the launch of Emirates services to Seoul in 2005 using an Airbus 340-300, we have stimulated the flow of business and leisure traffic to and from Korea.

Our flights have connected Korea to potential and emerging Middle East and African markets thus creating new business opportunities. Our services have also served the needs of over 70,000 Korean corporate travellers and holiday-makers visiting the UAE annually."

Korea is also one of the UAE's leading trade partners with over 150 per cent growth in total trade over the past five years. Emirates A380 operation will support the Korean government's drive to make Incheon International Airport a major Asian hub.

Seoul is Emirates' sixth A380 destination, and comes a few days ahead of the airline's scheduled A380 operations to Paris on December 29. Currently, the Dubai-based airline has six A380s in its fleet which are operating to London, Sydney, Auckland, Bangkok and Toronto. - 234next.com