Tourism Breaking News
Emirates has resumed its flights to two South American destinations, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, which were previously suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Flight EK247, operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft, received warm welcomes on its journey into Brazil and Argentina on Wednesday. Rio de Janeiro’s RIOgaleão organized a traditional water cannon salute to mark the airline’s return to the Brazilian city. Passengers and crew were greeted with samba dancers who put on a lively cultural performance in the presence of the airport’s management team. Emirates executives Salem Obaidalla, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations, Americas; and Stephane Perard, Manager for Brazil marked the resumption of the Dubai-Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires route with a symbolic ribbon-cutting before boarding the flight for Buenos Aires.
In Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza’s Ministro Pistarini International Airport, flight EK247 was met by Argentinian officials including Alexis Raúl Guerrera, Minister of Transport; Matías Lammens, Minister of Tourism; Paola Tamburelli, Director of Civil Aviation; Sebastian Villar Guarino, General Manager Ezeiza Airport, amongst other members of the airport’s management team; Oscar Suarez, Director of International Markets, IMPROTUR and H.E. Saeed Abdulla Saif Joula Alqemzi, Ambassador of the UAE to the Republic of Argentina. The welcome event in Buenos Aires was marked by a dramatic tango dance performance, courtesy of Argentina Tourism Board (INPROTUR).
With the resumption of services to Argentina, which was first launched in 2012, Emirates has restored over 90% of its pre-pandemic network, comprising over 130 destinations including Dubai. The four-times weekly flights from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro with onwards service to Buenos Aires will operate as EK247/EK248.
EK247 departs from Dubai four times a week at 08:05 and lands in Rio de Janeiro at 15:25. After a 1 hour and 45 minute stopover, the flight continues to Argentina at 17:10, landing in Buenos Aires at 20:40. The return flight, EK248, takes off from Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires at 22:20 and arrives in Rio de Janeiro at 01:10 the next day, afterwhich it departs again at 02:55, flying to its hub city of Dubai with a scheduled arrival time of 23:35.
*All times are local.
Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents.
