Air Transport

Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is to open Airbus A380 services to the South Korean capital Seoul towards the end of this year.

Emirates will operate the aircraft to Seoul from November. The Dubai-based carrier introduced flights to the capital in 2005 and currently uses Boeing 777s on the route.

It says the service will coincide with a Korean Government promotional campaign in 2010 aimed at attracting tourists to the country, and support efforts to turn Incheon Airport into an Asian hub.

"Incheon Airport has invested significantly to prepare its infrastructure for A380 operations," says Emirates Group chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.

Seoul will become the fifth Emirates A380 destination, behind New York, London, Sydney and Auckland.