Air Transport

Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is to withdraw its Airbus A380s from the New York JFK route to shift capacity to Toronto, and will also deploy the type to Bangkok.

The carrier operates the type on its Dubai-New York service but it will go back to using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the route.

Emirates stated earlier this month that it would use the A380 on routes to Toronto, but a spokesman for the carrier admits it will remove the type from JFK service and split the capacity between Toronto and Bangkok.

The airline says the economic downturn has resulted in the need to rethink the positioning and use of the 489-seat aircraft.

"As the global economy has affected international air travel, this aircraft redeployment was based solely on a change in capacity demands in these three markets," says the spokesman.

Toronto will be served three times per week from 1 June while the A380 will also be used on one of the carrier's twice-daily rotations to Bangkok.