This weekend Emirates Boosts Bahrain, We will see the return of Formula One motor racing, with the 2023 World Championship kicking off at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain.

With fans set to flock to the 70,000-capacity facility, Emirates is looking to help get them home by swapping the Boeing 777-300ER for the Airbus A380 on its Bahrain flights.

Emirates Boosts Bahrain F1 Capacity With The Airbus A380

On-track action at Sakhir will kick off tomorrow, as some of the world’s best racing drivers get behind the wheel for practice sessions. After qualifying on Saturday, the race itself will get underway at 18:00 local time on Sunday evening.

While fans will likely be arriving in Bahrain in a rather staggered manner this weekend, sporting events typically see more of a rush of travelers leaving at the same time in the aftermath.

For this reason, Emirates is sending two Airbus A380s from Dubai International (DXB) to Bahrain International (BAH) on Monday.

Emirates Boosts Bahrain: -Two return flights

The first of these rotations will see Emirates flight EK835 leave Dubai at 01:50 on the morning of March 6th, touching down in Bahrain one hour and 15 minutes later at 02:05 local time.

This will return to Dubai at 03:50 (landing at 06:05), making it perfect for those looking to make a quick getaway from the circuit.

Valuable additional capacity

Meanwhile, the second rotation will leave Dubai as EK837 at 08:20, touching down in Bahrain 80 minutes later at 08:40 local time. With the return flight (EK838) leaving Bahrain at 10:25 (and arriving in Dubai at 12:40 local time),

this option is ideal for passengers looking to make the most of their last night and depart later.

In terms of the extra capacity that the Airbus A380 will provide on these rotations, Emirates plans to deploy superjumbos with a three-class capacity of 517 seats.

This figure consists of 427 in the economy, as well as 76 business flatbeds and 14 first-class suites. Emirates will also operate a third rotation with the 777-300ER.

A quick look at the Dubai-based UAE flag carrier’s booking website suggests that this will use a three-class Boeing 777, with Emirates’ examples having a maximum capacity of 360 passengers

As such, with a maximum of 517 passengers accommodated on the superjumbos that Emirates is sending to Bahrain on March 6th, the use of the A380 will represent a 43.6% capacity boost on these flights.

Emirates used to have close ties to F1

While the Bahrain Grand Prix will likely attract many visitors from the UAE, Emirates is also targeting passengers from further afield with these flights.

Indeed, the airline explains that the deployment of the Airbus A380 on certain rotations out of Bahrain International Airport this Monday will “underscore the airline’s commitment to making connections for travelers to and through Dubai even easier.”

Formula One’s presence in the Middle East has boomed in recent years, a fact which has been underlined by its global airline sponsors of late. Indeed, Emirates used to be intrinsically linked to the sport, and served as F1’s official airline for seven years.

However, this year has seen the torch passed to fellow Middle Eastern giant Qatar Airways, which was also a key partner at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.