Emirates finally ready to reopen Brisbane Airport lounge, after four years in mothballs.

Emirates is set to reopen its renovated Brisbane Airport lounge, giving passengers direct access to the upper deck of A380 flights and other new luxuries.

The Brisbane lounge would be open to first and business class travellers with Emirates, along with eligible Emirates Skywards members.

Almost four years after Covid closed the Emirates lounge at Brisbane International Airport, the Gulf carrier is ready to reopen the facility from February 3.

It’s been a long wait for Brisbane customers of the airline which reopened lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in July 2022.

Australasian vice president of Emirates Barry Brown was confident the “refreshed” Brisbane lounge would be well-received with a new modern design and furnishings and direct access to the upper deck of an A380.

Catering for up to 183 guests at a time, the lounge also offered shower facilities, a dining area plus a wide array of seating and food and beverage.

The buffet included a selection of local and Middle Eastern dishes, oriental and European offerings such as salmon blinis, vegetable jalfrezi, chicken stroganoff and lemon meringue tart.

Currently Emirates operated two flights a day from Brisbane to Dubai, using an A380 and Boeing 777-300ER.

From October 1, both services would be flown by A380s providing about 130 extra seats a day.

Emirates has finally reopened its refurbished lounge.

Mr Brown said they looked forward to welcoming customers to the newly renovated lounge.

“Since we began operations in Brisbane over 20 years ago, we have been dedicated to serving Queenslanders and supporting the demand for overseas travel and tourism,” Mr Brown said.

“Refreshing the lounge at Brisbane Airport is part of Emirates’ commitment to offering a collection of exceptional airport lounges that extend our world-class in-flight experience to the ground and will allow passengers from Brisbane to start their journey feeling relaxed, and ready to enjoy their flight.”

Brisbane Airport chief executive Gert-Jan de Graaff said the renovation coincided with the gateway’s $5bn transformation, encompassing upgrades to the domestic and international terminals.

“This reinforces our commitment to meeting the needs of Queensland’s growing population and global interest as a favoured destination,” said Mr de Graaff.

The reopening of the Emirates lounge will also take pressure off the Qantas lounge, which has been accommodating premium customers of its airline partner since international travel restarted.

Executive Traveller editor David Flynn said on the other hand, eligible Qantas passengers could visit the Emirates lounge, particularly those booked on the 10pm flight to Los Angeles.

“The Emirates lounge makes a pleasing alternative to Qantas’ own Brisbane international lounge with its excellent buffet spread and free pour of champagne,” Mr Flynn said.

Inside Emirates new look Brisbane Airport lounge.

Mr Brown said the Brisbane lounge would be open to first and business class travellers with Emirates, along with eligible Emirates Skywards members, from 5pm to 1.30am daily.

Paid access to the lounge was subject to availability with prices starting at around $235 for four-hours, or $189.50 for Emirates’ Skywards members.

Emirates was also preparing to add a second daily flight to Perth from Dubai, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER on December 1.

The additional flight would lift Emirates’ services to Australia to 70 a week, putting it well ahead of rival Qatar Airways which operates 42, after a request for an additional 28 flights a week was refused by the federal government.

Originally published as Emirates finally ready to reopen Brisbane Airport lounge, after four years in mothballs.