Tag Archives: Emirates

Emirates has opened its new dedicated lounge at Cairo International Airport which is now open to Emirates First Class and Business Class customers as well as Platinum and Gold members of Skywards, the airline’s loyalty programme. Reflecting the airline’s ongoing commitment to Egypt, the Emirates Lounge in Cairo represents a US$ 3.6 million investment to provide premium customers with a seamless and enjoyable journey. Catering to three daily flights, the lounge offers customers even greater levels of comfort, hospitality and convenience as they start their Emirates experience in Cairo. Located at Departure Terminal 2, Level 2, above the secondary security check & Duty Free area, Emirates’ customers can look forward to relaxing, unwinding and enjoying award-winning service and cuisine. The lounge was formally opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Eng. Ahmed Youssef, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board; Mohammed H Mattar, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President – Emirates Airport Services; Thani Al Ansari, Country Manager, Egypt, Emirates. The opening was also attended by Montaser Manaa, Civil Aviation Authority VP and Khaled Abdel Monem, Chairman of Central Air Transport Administration. The interior design in the Emirates Lounge reflects a new contemporary and fresh design. The Lounge offers seating for up to 152 customers, covering an area of 880sq.m. The lounge will provides premium passengers with a relaxing ambiance, luxurious facilities and amenities, LED TVs, comfortable leather armchairs, a choice of formal and relaxed seating, bespoke artwork, and separate male and female prayer rooms.

Following the announcement of the partnership last year between Emirates and flydubai, it was recently announced that flydubai flights to 10 of its destinations will move from its current operating base of Terminal 2 and relocate to Terminal 3 at Dubai International (DXB). Other services will continue to operate from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC). His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai, said, “Last July, we announced the extensive codeshare partnership which has seen Emirates and flydubai work closely together to offer customers unmatched opportunities to travel. As part of this next phase flights to 10 flydubai destinations will operate from Terminal 3 optimising connectivity for their passengers from the world’s busiest airport.” From December 2, 2018, flights to Belgrade, Bishkek, Bucharest, Catania, Dushanbe, Helsinki, Krakow, Prague, Rostov-on-Don and Salalah will operate from Terminal 3, Dubai International. Flights to these destinations before December 2, will continue to operate from Terminal 2. Passengers booked to travel to these destinations will be able to check-in for their flight at the Business Class and Economy Class desks in the departures area of Terminal 3. Business Class passengers will be able to use fast track on the ground and enjoy other Business Class services, whilst transiting passengers will have a smooth and quick transit time. Destinations have been chosen to help improve the connection between Emirates and flydubai. Further flights operating from Terminal 3 will be added in the summer schedule in 2019.

Emirates has launched a new, five times-a-week service from Dubai (DXB) to Santiago International Airport (SCL), via the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo (GRU), marking the airline’s first arrival in Chile. On board the inaugural Boeing 777-200LR flight, which was welcomed at both Sao Paulo and Santiago airports with a water cannon salute, was a group of special guests and media. Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West said, “We are very pleased to see the interest this new route has created since it was announced in late January, reflected in strong bookings from and to Santiago. Santiago is a very popular leisure and business destination, and this new service will offer customers across our global network, particularly from key inbound markets such the Far East, Middle East and West Asia, a great travel option to South America. The new service will also give travellers from Chile the opportunity to experience Emirates’ superior product and service, and offer them more convenient travel options with Emirates to Sao Paulo, Dubai and onward to destinations across our network,”. “The arrival of Emirates in Chile is an important symbol of trust and confidence in the country, to our authorities and to how Groupe ADP, VINCI Airports and Astaldi Concessioni, through Nuevo Pudahuel, are setting a new standard of service at Arturo Merino Benítez Airport”, said Nicolas Claude, CEO Nuevo Pudahuel.

Introducing 3D seat models on emirates.com, Emirates has becoming the first airline to introduce web virtual reality (VR) technology on its digital platform. The 3D seat model is a visualisation engine that displays an immersive 3D 360 degree view of the interior of the Emirates A380 and the Emirates Boeing 777, giving customers a chance to explore their seats, the spacious cabin and the Emirates onboard product. This new feature available on emirates.com allows users to navigate through the Economy, Business and First Class cabins, as well as the iconic Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa on the Emirates A380 using navigational hotspots. Alex Knigge, Senior Vice President -Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand (Digital), Emirates said, “As we continually invest to provide our customers with an unmatched travel experience onboard and on the ground, we also work very hard to give our customers a world-class digital experience. We are pleased to be the world’s first airline to introduce this cutting-edge web VR technology.” The high-quality 3D generated graphics offer an outstanding render that is close to reality. Customers accessing emirates.com via their mobile devices or the Emirates app for iOS and Android will also be able to explore their seats before checking in online with the 3D seat map.

In an effort to launch a scheduled A380 service to Pakistan, Emirates will deploy a one-off A380 to Islamabad on July 8. The airline’s iconic double-decker will make its inaugural arrival in Islamabad on a special flight EK2524/EK2525. The A380 flight will depart Dubai on July 8 at 08:00 hrs and arrive in Islamabad at 12:10 hrs. The flight will depart Islamabad at 15:40 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 17:45 hrs on the same day. “We are proud to bring our flagship A380 aircraft to Islamabad, and we look forward to showcasing our innovative products on-board this iconic aircraft with the signature Emirates service. While this is a special flight, we are very keen to launch a scheduled A380 service to Pakistan and will continue to work with authorities to realise these plans,” said Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President – Commercial Operations Centre, Emirates. The Emirates A380 aircraft on this special one-off service will be in a two-class configuration offering spacious seats in Economy Class and fully flat-bed seats in Business Class as well as Emirates’ popular Onboard Lounge. Passengers in all classes enjoy free Wi-Fi to stay in touch with family and friends and Emirates’ multi-award winning ‘ice’ inflight entertainment with up to 3,500 channels of movies, TV programmes, music and podcasts on the industry’s biggest personal screens in each class of travel.

Emirates has launched a second daily flight between Dubai and Prague to meet the increasing demand for travel on the route. The airline has been serving the Czech market since 2010 and has carried some 1.7 million passengers on the route during this time. To meet the rising demand for both inbound and outbound travel, Emirates has added this new daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-300 ER with a capacity of 360 seats, boosting tourism into the Czech Republic by 262,800 seats a year. The new flight will accommodate three classes on board, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy. Flight EK137 leaves Dubai at 15:30 and arrives in Prague at 19:55. The return flight EK138 leaves Prague at 21:35 and arrives in Dubai at 05:30 the following day, giving travellers the full day in Dubai to kick-start their holiday, short break or business trip, and take advantage of the wealth of activity and dining options the cosmopolitan city has to offer.

Emirates expects high passenger traffic on its flights this upcoming weekend, as travellers journey out for their summer holidays and long breaks. Over 220,000 travellers will be passing through Emirates Terminal 3 during the upcoming two weekends. Emirates reminds customers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before flight departure, and customers are encouraged to plan extra time to avoid potential delays. Passengers can physically check in at the airport as early as six hours before departing on their flight. They are requested to check in no later than 90 minutes prior to departure, regardless of class of travel. Customers who check in less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. Customers can also check in online on both their desktops and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. In addition to these online check-in services, Emirates also offers check-in facilities near its car park area. Customers can use these to check in and drop off their luggage from 24 hours to six hours prior to departure. Along with checked in baggage, passengers are strongly advised to adhere to carry-on baggage weight limits, which are 7kg for Economy Class and 14kg for Business and First Class. Staff will be checking the weight of carry-on bags at various touch points before passengers board their flights. For a more convenient way to check-in, especially for families, groups and passengers with tight schedules, Emirates also offers home-check in, allowing customers travelling across all classes to check in for their flights from anywhere in Dubai.

Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC) and Crop One will co-invest US$40 million to build the world’s largest vertical farming facility near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central. The project is a joint venture with US-based Crop One Holdings, the world’s leading vertical farm operator. The construction of the facility is scheduled to start in November 2018 and will take approximately one year to complete. The first products are expected to be delivered to Emirates Flight Catering’s customers, including 105 airlines and 25 airport lounges, in December 2019. When complete, the vertical farm facility will cover 130,000 square feet, but have a production output equivalent to 900 acres of farmland. At full production, the facility will harvest three US tons (2,700 kg) of high-quality, herbicide-free and pesticide-free leafy greens daily, using 99 per cent less water than outdoor fields. The proximity of the farm to the point of consumption also substantially reduces carbon emissions associated with transportation. It will also ensure the quick delivery of the fresh products, reaching customers within hours of harvest, maintaining high nutritional value. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group said: “Today’s announcement is an important milestone for the Emirates Group, for Dubai, and for the UAE. This investment to build and operate the world’s largest vertical farming facility aligns with the UAE’s drive for more agricultural self-sufficiency, a vision which began with the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father. The introduction of ground-breaking technology at the facility also enhances Dubai’s position as a global innovation hub.”

In order to celebrate Emirates airline’s 25 years of service to Oman, the airline will deploy a one off A 380 flight to Muscat on July 1. This special flight re-affirms the newly opened airport infrastructure to handle A380 operations. The new passenger terminal at Oman International Airport recently opened its doors in March 2018. The Emirates A380 service will operate as EK 862 and EK 863, departing Dubai at 0825hrs and arriving in Muscat at 0935hrs. The flight will depart Muscat at 1205hrs arriving in Dubai at 1310hrs on the same day. Khalid Bel Jaflah, Divisional Vice President Commercial Operations UAE and Oman, Emirates said, “We are proud to fly the first scheduled A380 service to Muscat as Emirates marks a significant milestone of 25 years of service to the Sultanate of Oman. It is a very important destination for us in the region and we maintain our strong commitment to the country. We look forward to showcasing our innovative products and stylish amenities on-board this iconic aircraft to our trade partners and travel industry stakeholders in Oman.” David Wilson, Chief Operations Officer, Oman Airports said, “On behalf of Muscat International Airport, we thank Emirates Airline and express our appreciation for the upcoming historic arrival of a scheduled A380 service to the Sultanate of Oman. The arrival of the aircraft will be a valuable initiative which will highlight our new international airport terminal and we look forward to celebrating our long standing commitment with Emirates Airline.”

Emirates has launched a new daily service from Dubai to Auckland via Bali, reflecting increased interest in the attractive Indonesian island destination and improving connectivity to New Zealand. The new service offers global travellers a total of three daily services to New Zealand, complementing Emirates’ existing non-stop daily A380 service between Dubai and Auckland and its current daily A380 service between Dubai and Christchurch via Sydney. Travellers will now also enjoy a choice of three daily services between Dubai to Bali in the summer (northern hemisphere), as the new flight adds to Emirates’ two existing daily services which are currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration. On board the inaugural flight, which was welcomed at both Denpasar and Auckland airports with a water cannon salute, was a group of special guests and media. Emirates’ new Dubai-Bali-Auckland flight provides the only year-round non-stop daily service between Auckland and Bali, giving passengers an opportunity to visit and/or stop over in one of the most popular islands in Indonesia. The airline is operating a 777-300ER on the route, offering eight seats in First, 42 seats in Business and 304 seats in Economy class, as well as 20 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity. The new service will also be the first Emirates Bali flight to offer passengers the airline’s award-winning First Class product. Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said, “We are very pleased to see the interest this new route has created since it was announced in mid-February, reflected in strong bookings from Auckland to Bali and beyond, as well as southbound from our global network.”