Tag Archives: Emirates

Emirates will share the legacy of the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to a global audience in 2018 through its inflight magazine, Open Skies. The magazine will mark the ‘Year of Zayed’ throughout 2018 by featuring the achievements of HH Sheikh Zayed through a host of classic images and stories in honour of his memory. The magazine will dedicate pages to highlight his role in establishing the Federation as well as his local, regional and international successes. In addition, each article will also tell readers how they can explore the region and see HH Sheikh Zayed’s vision come to life. Emirates has also adorned its aircraft with a bespoke livery of the late HH Sheikh Zayed. 10 Emirates aircraft – five Airbus A380s and five Boeing 777-300ERs – will carry the special livery and travel across the Emirates network throughout 2018. The unique livery is the first time Emirates has featured a customised decal of a public figure.

Emirates has carried over 59 million passengers since January 2017 to over 159 destination around the globe. The airline served over 63 million meals onboard with over 35 million pieces of baggage. Reflecting on the year, Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline, said, “Despite the ups and downs of 2017, Emirates delivered steady growth and we have come out stronger and even more resilient. Throughout the year, we challenged convention and acted nimbly to mitigate challenges and maximise opportunities. We implemented initiatives to boost revenues, trim costs, and used emerging technologies to make our business and operations more agile, without compromising on quality or service. We enter 2018 with optimism, and an unflagging drive to keep raising the bar in terms of customer experience and business performance.” They further registered over 3,600 passenger flights on average per week, or over 191,000 flights in 2017, travelling more than 886 million kilometres around the globe, which is equivalent to over 16,000 trips to Mars. Emirates grew its fleet by 21 new aircraft in 2017, with 9 A380 and 12 Boeing 777-300ER deliveries, rounding off the year with 269 aircraft, and 243 aircraft pending delivery. The airline also retired 11 aircraft over the course of the year. The airline marked 9 years of A380 operations and also celebrated its 100th A380 delivery milestone in November, strengthening Emirates’ position as the world’s largest operator of the iconic double-decker aircraft. Powering its fleet expansion and future growth, Emirates made global headlines at the Dubai Airshow when it placed a US $15.1 billion for 40 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The order will enable the airline to maintain a young and efficient fleet, complementing its Boeing 777 and …

Emirates is set to launch a new daily route from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) on June 8, 2018. With its strategic position close to the tech and pharma hubs of Cambridge and Peterborough, Emirates will be the first Middle Eastern airline to operate out of the popular North East London airport. The daily route will be operated by the airline’s new three-class Boeing 777-300ER offering customers six  seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 306 in Economy Class. The aircraft is fitted with fully enclosed private suites in First Class, as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins. Flight EK33 will depart Dubai at 09:30hrs, and will arrive in London Stansted at 14:10hrs. On its return, flight EK34 will depart London Stansted at 21:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 07:05 on the following day. Opening the London Stansted gateway was a strategic decision by Emirates to serve the thriving business community in London’s north east and the wider 7.5 million population that fall within its catchment area. Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Mumbai are the most popular business destinations from the East of England, which Emirates serves daily through its Dubai hub.

Ahead of the new year, flydubai launched two new routes to Europe. Flights to Krakow will start on April 8, 2018 and flights to Catania will begin on June 13, 2018. flydubai becomes the first UAE carrier to operate direct flights to these destinations, offering weekly flights. With the launch of these new European routes, the airline’s network grows to over 100 destinations in 47 countries. Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, flydubai, said, “With the launch of flights to Krakow and Catania, flydubai is committed to open up new direct air links to Dubai. Our latest route launches are testament to that commitment which demonstrate our efforts in offering our passengers more options to explore our network.” Emirates will codeshare on both routes and as part of the Emirates-flydubai partnership, each airline’s passengers will have the opportunity to connect in Dubai to hundreds of destinations across the world. To offer passengers more comfort and an enhanced travel experience, the carrier will operate the new routes on its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 unveiled at the Dubai Airshow in November.

Emirates and Thales have signed a new agreement to equip its Boeing 777X fleet with the next generation broadband inflight connectivity using Inmarsat GX global network. The partnership will give Emirates’ customers the best-in-class connectivity due for delivery in 2020. Emirates and Thales already have an existing multi-million dollar deal to fit its Boeing 777X fleet with a next generation Thales AVANT inflight entertainment system. The new agreement is part of the Emirates and Thales’ plans to enhance the state-of-the-art inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) on the 777X fleet. Emirates offers all its customers 20MB of complimentary Wi-Fi data on board while Emirates Skywards members in First Class and Business Class enjoy unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi and discounted plans in Economy Class. Emirates, Thales and Inmarsat will work together to meet the increasing demand for Wi-Fi on board. Broadband connectivity speeds coupled with Thales’ AVANT innovative and customisable IFE system will further boost Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system.

Emirates announced that it will reinstate its second daily service to Lagos and resume operations to Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, with four weekly flights from December 15. The added frequencies to Lagos will be operated with Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class. “As Nigeria is a key market for Emirates, we will add 11 weekly flights between Dubai and two major cities in Nigeria, Abuja and Lagos. This highlights our commitment to providing travellers in Nigeria with not only the very latest in aircraft innovations but also increased connectivity,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Africa. The added Lagos flight EK781 will depart Dubai every day at 03:55hrs and arrive in Lagos at 09:05hrs. The return flight EK782 will depart Lagos at 12:40hrs and arrive in Dubai at 22:55hrs.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai joined officials from Emirates airline and Boeing to witness the signing of a US$15.1 billion commitment to purchase 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners. Emirates is already the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator and the airline will be first to receive the new 777X in 2020. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates airline, said, “Emirates’ orders today will be delivered from 2022, taking the airline well into the 2030s. Some of these will be replacements so that we maintain a young and efficient fleet, and others will power our future network growth. Today’s announcement also speaks to our confidence in the future of aviation in the UAE and the region.” The 787-10 Dreamliner is the newest and longest member of the super-efficient 787 family. Boeing says it offers 10 per cent better fuel and emissions than competitive aircraft in the sector.

The first day of the Dubai Airshow kicked off with Emirates’ President Tim Clark unveiling the latest partnership with Mercedes Benz in one-of-a-kind fully enclosed private suites. With floor to ceiling sliding doors and sleek design features inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Emirates’ new suites take luxury and privacy to the next level. Offering 0up to 40 sq ft of personal space each, these spacious, fully-enclosed private suites are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration. The latest Emirates 777 aircraft boasts of a multi-million dollar upgrade that includes newly-designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems in all cabins. Clark said, “The inflight experience is the heart of our brand and service proposition. The new 777 interiors that we are unveiling today is part of Emirates’ ongoing investment to continually exceed our customers’ expectations. Our Business Class features latest fully-flat leather seats with personal minibars while the Economy Class seats have adjustable full leather headrests.”

Emirates’ first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its first-class product will operate from Dubai to the airline’s Belgian and Swiss destinations from December 1. The new cabin will feature six private suites laid out in a 1-1-1 layout, compared to the eight private suites in a 1-2-1 layout on its existing 777 fleet. Prior to entering commercial service, the first Emirates aircraft to feature the new private suites will be on display at the Dubai Airshow from November 12-16, following a product reveal on the first day of the show. Operating as one of the two daily flights from Dubai to Geneva, travellers can enjoy the new product on flight EK083 departing Dubai at 14:50hrs, arriving in Geneva at 18:55hrs. The return flight leaves Geneva at 20:40hrs, arriving at Dubai International Airport at 06:05hrs on the following day. For travellers heading to or from Belgium, the new product will be available on flight EK183 which leaves Dubai at 08:20hrs, arriving in Brussels at 12:45hrs. The return flight leaves Brussels at 14:35hrs, arriving at Emirates Terminal Three in Dubai at 00:15hrs on the following day.

The partnership between Emirates and flydubai announced 16 additional destinations to which Emirates’ passengers can travel on a single ticket. The new, expanded network includes destinations such as Zanzibar, Kathmandu and Kilimanjaro. Travellers can book on Emirates.com, through Emirates’ contact centres or via travel agents, commencing from November 8. Emirates President Tim Clark said, “We are thrilled with the positive response from travellers. Nearly 14,000 sectors have been ticketed during the first week of operation. We have witnessed strong demand for travel from Europe and the United States to South Asian destinations.” The new codeshare destinations include Bratislava (Slovakia), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Djibouti, (Djibouti), Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Hargeisa (Somalia), Istanbul – Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey), Kathmandu (Nepal), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mattala Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), Makhachkala (Russia), Podgorica (Montenegro), Sylhet (Bangladesh), Ufa (Russia), Voronezh (Russia), Yerevan (Armenia) and Zanzibar (Tanzania). Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai, said, “Today’s announcement will allow keen travellers to discover another 16 destinations as well as enjoy the unique personality of each airline.”