Why the final A380 flew to Dubai via UK airspace

Emirates received its 123rd Airbus A380 on December 16, bringing an end to the 16-year and 251-strong production run for the superjumbo. The handover of A6-EVS (c/n 272) took place at the airframer’s Hamburg/Finkenwerder facility. After all the festivities were complete on the ground, the jet departed for Dubai, but instead of routing southeast after take-off, it first conducted a low flyby of the airport and then surprisingly, flew off towards the UK. A6-EVS first flew on March 17, 2021.