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Hello Everybody!
After travelling around the world for years, I’ve finally decided to write my first trip report on Emirates, KRT – DXB – LHR; MAN – DXB – KRT, hope you will like it.
Background: I decided to visit some friends and relatives in London, Cardiff and Manchester during June & July and as we know these months are the best to visit the UK.
Khartoum (KRT/HSSS) – Dubai (DXB/OMDB)
Flight: Emirates EK 734, 1616 Miles
Date: 13/JUN/09
Aircraft Type: Airbus 340-300
Registration: A6-ERN
Flight Duration: 03:40
Push Back: 19:27
ETD: 19:20
ATD: 19:36
ETA: 00:15
ATA: 00:03
Seat: 27 K (R3 Exit Door, Economy)
Load: F 30%, J 100%, Y 70%
About Khartoum Int. Airport:
Khartoum International Airport is an old airport with four small terminals, International, domestic, Hajj & Umrah, and the presidential terminal, located 5 Km from city center, has only one runway 18 – 36 with length of 2,980 meter. This airport will be replaced with a new airport 40 Km South of city center by next year 2010. This is planned to have two 4000 meter parallel runways, a passenger terminal of 86,000 square meters and a 300-room international hotel.
Emirates has a daily flight to KRT from DXB linked with more than hundred destinations by the new state-of-the-art terminal 3, they operate on this route the Airbus 340-300, the seating configuration of this bird is 12 First, 42 Business, 213 Economy.
At the Airport:
I arrived roughly two hours prior to departure time, The check-in was on time and the crew was very friendly, Emirates has an advanced seat selection facility on their website but they don’t have an online check-in from KRT, I couldn’t select any exit seat as they provide it at the airport only after seeing passenger physically, I asked the check-in gentleman to get seat 27K, he handed me the boarding pass with a smile and thanked me to fly with Emirates, then I proceeded to the immigration officer to stamp my passport, the security was a breeze.
Part of the business lounge in KRT
I couldn’t take many pictures at the airport for security reasons but while we were bused to the plane I’ve got some pictures on the apron.
2 Airbus 300B (ST-ATA) scheduled to CAI via PZU and (ST-ATB) scheduled to JED
ST-ATA called Alqaswa
Our bird to DXB
The giant CFM56 engine.
What a beautiful bird!!!
Always nice to board a wide body via stairs
After boarding completed wet towels had been distributed and recollected before pushback with the dinner menus, the full menu is as follows:
Appetizer: Arabic Mezze
Main Course (2 Choices): Arabic lamb meatballs stew or Parsley and mustard chicken.
Dessert: A pastry stuffed with cream
Beverages: Tea or Coffee
Our proposal route to DXB, we took off from runway 36 then turned right to our flight route with a cruising altitude of 39,000 ft. we flew over Portsudan, Red sea, Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran then turned right to Bahrain and Doha, then we started our descending to Dubai over the Persian Gulf.
I ordered the Parsley and mustard chicken and I was surprised by the quality of food and the way of presentation.
Unfortunately on this route the IFE (In-Flight Entertainment) system is not AVOD (Audio & Video on Demand), but I watched the movie He is not just that into you, it wasn’t bad (sorry for the bad picture).
The in-flight magazine Open Skies, The TV & Radio guide and the Emirates humanitarian foundation brochure.
Here we were over BAH
We started descending at around 23: 40 and the landing was very smooth, the captain has kissed the runway 12L at 00:03.
We parked beside Biman, the Bangladesh Airlines, S2-ACO to DAC
The passengers disembarked the plane really fast. I walked all the terminal 3 and I must admit that is just amazing, it left me breathless.
This is Terminal 3, where you can find cascade and trees inside the amazing terminal.
DXB – LHR sector:
Emirates operates 8 flights a day from DXB to LON, 3 flights to LGW and 5 flights depart to LHR, types of aircrafts those depart to LHR are: 2 Boeing 773, 2 Boeing 77W, and one Airbus 388, the first flight departs at 2:30 and my flight arrives at 00:15 but I chose the second one because it was the A 380, the most popular equipment to LHR, that’s why now Emirates announced the double daily A380 to LHR from next January.
About Emirates A380:
Emirates A380 is a full double deck modern Aircraft with state-of-the-art technology, till I’m writing this report delivered to three companies only, Qantas (The Australian Carrier), Singapore Airlines and Fly Emirates, the lower deck is for economy passengers and the upper deck is for First and business class passengers, equipped with a bar lounge and 2 shower spa, Emirates has made the shower spa for the first time in the aviation industry, that’s why I think Emirates is a proactive airline company, has its own brand, own standards as a prestigious carrier. The lovely singer Aaron Neville sang “I don’t know much but I know I love you, that maybe all I need to know” this song always reminds me the Emirates 380 with its following unforgettable journey, so please enjoy J
Dubai (DXB/OMDB) – London Heathrow T3 (LHR/EGLL)
Emirates EK 001, 3419 Miles
Date: 14/JUN/09
Aircraft Type: A 380-800
Registration: A6-EDE
Duration: 07:30
Push Back: 08:18
ETD: 07:45
ATD: 08:30
ETA: 12:15
ATA: 12:55
Seat: 79 K
Load: F 100%, J 100%, Y 100%
This Aircraft is the fifth A380 to be delivered to Emirates, had its maiden flight in 30/APR/09 to Dubai.
I asked for a priority boarding and I was one of the first passengers to board the plane, a friendly flight attendant welcomed me and addressed me by my name after checked my boarding pass, never experienced that before in Economy Class.
The smell of the aircraft and the boarding song were very nice and unforgettable. After boarding completed the crew brought the refreshing towels and Breakfast menus as usual, the menu as follows:
Main Course (2 options): Herb cream egg roll or Mixed grill.
Fruits, Croissant and Beverages
Sandwich: Chicken and sweet onion (served 1:30 prior to arrival)
Legroom was quite generous
For seats in economy class I found large 10.6-inch touch screen, integrated headset, double-foldable table, cup holder with auto-leveling feature, laptop power supply, USB port, and coat hook. What else???
Emirates' ice in-flight entertainment system (I = information, c = communication, e = entertainment) has become famous since its introduction a few years ago, but the success hasn't stopped the airline from introducing an even more advanced version on the A380 and the newer 777s. It's called ice Digital Widescreen and offers a choice of more than 1000 channels of entertainment. "A wider choice of entertainment on a wider screen" is how Emirates describes it on its website. The new ice Navigator interface helps to click through the countless options easily and quickly - you don't need to go back to the main menu any more.
What is inside the ICE?
- - More than 200 movies, available in many different languages
- - Hundreds of TV features (comedy, sports, drama, kids' programs, etc.)
- - Nearly 10,000 music tracks on hundreds of albums (playlist builder)
- - Hundreds of radio channels (podcasts, operas, etc.)
- - More than 100 video games (including new games and all the classic ones)
- - Advanced air show (moving map with 3D aircraft model, external camera views)
- - Regularly updated news from BBC
- - Duty Free shopping
- - Information about Emirates, Skywards, Dubai etc.
- - SMS & Email
- - Option to plug in a digital camera for viewing images
After this flight I realized why the ICE has won the Skytrax Award for 5 years and World Airline Entertainment Association Awards for 2007 & 2008.
The wing with the view of DXB ATC and Terminal 3, take off was long but pretty smooth, we were airborne from 12R then turned towards our flight path.
When we reached our cruising altitude the friendly captain came on the public announcement, welcomed us again, apologized for the delay at DXB and told us our flight time was going to be 6 hours and 8 minutes with initial altitude of 34,000 and then up to 43,100 when we got a bit lighter, although it’s a giant aircraft but the noise level on this bird is indeed very low.
We flew over the Persian Gulf, Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Georgia, Black sea, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Netherlands and the English Channel then London.
Here we were over the Iranian highlands
During the flight I watched Madagascar 2 and New in town then rest of time I listened to relaxing music and watched the air show till we approached London.
Here we started turning to the West over Ukraine and the Black sea
Here we were over Poland
About 90 minutes prior to arrival it was time for a light cold snack and a choice of drinks.
Here we were over POZ (Poznan)
The cabin crew serving the beverages
From this picture you may imagine how spacious it is!
Here we began descending into LHR
UK coastal lands
We were turning towards the western part of London to approach Heathrow. In this picture you can spot the Arsenal London’s home, The Emirates Stadium.
Here you can see the Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Royal Albert hall
Final Approach
We touched down rather hard on runway 27R, followed by heavy breaking and exiting the runway on the far end.
After spending a very nice vacation in the UK, I decided to stay 3 days in DXB; my flight was MAN – DXB – KRT.
Before the airport:
Fly Emirates has a double daily flight from DXB to MAN, equipped by Boeing 777 – 300 ER, and for our information, Emirates is the world’s largest operator for Boeing 777 and the only airline to operate every model in the B777 family. Manchester is the second important destination after London for Emirates as they fly to 6 destinations (LHR - LGW – BHX – MAN – GLA – NCL) with frequencies of 14 flights a day.
MAN – DXB sector:
Manchester T1 (MAN/EGCC) – Dubai (DXB/OMDB)
Emirates EK 20 (3517 Miles)
Date: 11/JUL/09
Aircraft Type: Boeing 777-300 ER
Registration: E6-EBP
Duration: 07:10
Push Back: 21:10
ETD: 20:50
ATD: 21:36
ETA: 07:00
ATA: 07:03
Seat: 43 K
Load: J 100%, Y 100%
Monarch Airlines, SAS and Thomas Cook at MAN
Post immigration on my way to the restaurant and gate
Lufthansa City Line, Thomas Cook and Ryan Air.
A very nice bar & restaurant with reasonable prices
Our bird to DXB
Boarding by zones was started about 45 minutes prior to departure. Seat 43K in the rear cabin belongs to zone F so I immediately hit the road.
Large and well adjustable in-seat screens
There was about 1 inch less legroom compared to the A380, the seat is also 0.5 inch narrower than on the A380, but it was still enough comfortable.
Czech Airlines just arrived from Prague, by the way this route will be cancelled from 25/OCT/09 Prague – Manchester.
Before push back the pilot came to the intercom and announced that our routing would be the English Channel, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Black sea, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait then the Persian Gulf Before descending into Dubai.
We turned onto runway 23 R and the two giant GE90 engines kicked the 77W into the sky of Manchester.
During takeoff the sun has made a beautiful sunset over the green English landscape
Turning to the south to reach our flight path
UK & Western Europe air show
After takeoff by half an hour the crew began to serve the dinner:
Appetizer: Greek salad
Main Course: Yoghurt Chicken with Basmati rice or Lamb medallions with vegetables.
Dessert: Strawberry cheesecake
I ordered the Yoghurt chicken with basmati rice; sorry I forgot to take a picture for the meal as I was starving...lol
Three hours into the flight, and after meals immediately the mood lightning turned on to relax passengers and to avoid jetlag as our flight arrives in the morning.
Here we have just passed over the Iraqi city of Mosul
During the flight I watched Slumdog Millionaire & the International, I strongly recommend you to see the film Slumdog Millionaire.
The whole route map
In the last 30 minutes Emirates presents a welcoming video about Dubai, in all its flights while approaching Dubai, a nice touch.
Part of Emirates FIDS for connecting passengers
Final Approach to RWY 30L
The Boeing 77W performed a kiss landing on runway 30 L
We were settled in the apron, Cobus 3000 buses were waiting to transfer us to terminal 3.
We have landed in the rush hours and terminal three was full so we disembarked in the remote stand area.
OMG!! When we disembarked it was 35C and the humidity was about 80%, welcome to the sauna my fellow passengers J
The arrival area of terminal 3
On my way to catch a taxi
After spending three nice days in Dubai, today my flight to KRT
Dubai (DXB/OMDB) – Khartoum (KRT/HSSS)
Emirates EK 733 (1616 Miles)
Date: 14/JUL/09
Aircraft Type: Airbus 340-300
Registration: E6-ERR
Duration: 04:00
Push Back: 14:54
ETD: 14:40
ATD: 15:08
ETA: 17:40
ATA: 17:41
Seat: 16 K
Load: F 40%, J 80%, Y 80%
Terminal three, the EK new home
Dubai duty free celebrating their 25 years
FIDS, my flight exactly in the middle of the left screen
Ads for First class on A380
Final call for our flight
Our A/C to KRT
On the aerobridge
Boeing 773 scheduled to Doha and the tail in the far end scheduled to Damascus
Airbus 330-200, this type of aircrafts is the backbone of EK short haul flights.
Emirates Engineering Center
UPS Boeing 747F and Indian Airlines Boeing 737-800
Take off was short and smooth from RWY 30R, you can see the skyscrapers in SHJ
As usual the crew distributed the dinner menu and hot towels, the menu as follows:
Appetizer: Arabic mezze
Main Course: Lamb ouzi with oriental rice or Chicken stroganoff
Dessert: Umm Ali (pastry cooked cream and milk)
After take-off the passenger who sat beside me had a stomach-ache, he had gone many times to the toilet and couldn’t eat anything, apparently the flight attendant approached with a glass of water and some medication. At that time, you will distinguish how service minded the EK flight attendants are, as they kept checking out this passenger on turn.
I ordered the chicken stroganoff with mashed potato and mixed vegetables
I watched the MONSTERS VS. ALIENS movie, again this bird doesn’t have ICE :(
Towards JED, red sea and PZU
Over Jeddah
While I’m reading this valuable book the crew distributed the papers for Sudanese and foreigners passengers.
Khartoum northern outskirt
The Nile divided Khartoum to three cities, Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman, here we were over Bahri city for the approach of runway 18
Final approach to RWY 18
RWY 18 – 36
MS 737-500 from Cairo
UN, Marsland Air, KLM and Sudan Airways
Our A/C from DXB
We disembarked the plane; I thanked the Flight attendants for a nice flight and bused to the arrival terminal in KRT.
The luggage’s of our flight were offloaded, after more than half an hour wait, I found my bag damaged on the ground, I was looking for the handling agent to inquire the status of my luggage, the handling lady weighted my bag, filled the form for me and asked me to come the next day, on the next day morning Emirates airport office called me to bring my bag, my ticket and my passport with me, I’ve met EK airport respected manager, she apologized for what happened and compensated me in the same day after referred back to Warsaw convention, it’s unusual and very rare in Sudan to be compensated in the same day, specially in this field. Last year I took RB from IST, they’ve lost my bag and I’m still waiting for their response..Loll
Fly Emirates always makes our journeys unforgettable, I can only recommend flying on emirates because you get exactly what you pay for, if you have any question or comments please don’t hesitate to contact me, and please wait for my next trip report to EBB & KGL by Ethiopian Airlines.
Thanks for reading this reportJ
Ahmed Abbas Mahgoub
Business Analyst
Tel: +249-912-203040
KRT - Sudan
