Tag Archives: Emirates

Emirates will be operating 45 additional flights to Jeddah and 12 additional flights to Medina from August 17 until September 11 to help serve 2 million pilgrims expected to travel to the Holy City of Mecca during Hajj this year. These services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah. The airline will also be operating its A380 to Medina which will also support the increased demand during this period. The additional services are available to travellers holding a valid Hajj visa. This year, top inbound destinations Emirates is expecting Hajj pilgrims to come from are Yangon, Manchester, Mauritius, Jakarta, Karachi, Lagos and Nairobi. Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran, Emirates, said, “With a sizeable increase in demand for air travel during this period, Emirates is helping to make the journey more seamless for the scores of pilgrims making their way to the Holy City of Mecca. Whether it’s in the air or on the ground, Emirates aims to provide all its customers with the best experience in line with their faith, particularly at this significant time and important journey.” On the ground, Emirates has appointed a dedicated group of airport staff to seamlessly facilitate the passenger ground experience for Hajj. In addition, dedicated check-in counters have been set up for Hajj passengers in Dubai. In the air, several initiatives have been planned in keeping with the values and traditions that pilgrims uphold when travelling for Hajj. Extra provisions will be made to accommodate Hajj traveller needs such as performing ablutions, advising passengers about Al Miqat and Ihram (the phase when pilgrims enter a state of sanctity) and other arrangements …

Emirates will increase the frequency of flights between Dubai and Khartoum from five to seven a week starting 8 August 2017. The additional services will be realised by Boeing 777, offering customers a choice of cabins with 8 luxurious private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 304 seats with plenty of room to relax in Economy Class. Offering a total of over 700 additional seats each way per week, the two new flights will enhance connectivity between a number of popular cities in the Middle East, Asia and Americas, some of them being Kuwait, Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Seoul, Mumbai, New York and Washington DC.

Dubai-based airlines, Emirates and flydubai, unveiled an extensive partnership recently that says the two airlines have joined hands to offer customers unmatched travel options and facilities. Both airlines will continue to be managed independently but will leverage each other’s network to scale up their operations and accelerate growth. Emirates today has a wide-body fleet of 259 aircraft, flying to 157 destinations (including 16 cargo-only points). flydubai operates 58 new-generation Boeing 737 aircraft to 95 destinations. The current combined network comprises 216 unique destination points. This latest partnership includes not only code-sharing, but also integrated network collaboration with coordinated scheduling. The new model will give flydubai customers seamless connectivity to Emirates’ worldwide destinations spanning six continents. For Emirates’ customers, it opens up flydubai’s robust regional network. The two airlines will also further develop their hub at Dubai International, aligning their systems and operations to ensure a seamless travel experience through the ultra-modern airport.

Emirates has announced that effective October 2017, it will introduce its A380 carrier on the double daily service between Dubai and Moscow. It is with the purpose of boosting the seat capacity on this route. This aircraft upgauge sees an increase of over 1,000 seats per week. Come October and flights EK131/132 and EK133/134 will be operated by Airbus A380, in a three-class configuration, with 14 Private Suites in First Class, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 427 comfortable seats in Economy Class. In all cabins, passengers will enjoy access to Wi-Fi and over 2500 channels of films, music and games, more than 60 in Russian, through ice Digital Widescreen, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system

Emirates will introduce an additional daily flight from Dubai to Brussels from 29 October 2017, providing a double-daily service to customers on the route. The new scheduled flight is to meet the growing demand for travel on the route – Emirates has carried over half a million passengers between Dubai and the Belgian capital since launching operations on 5 September 2014. Further, this second daily flight, offering additional cargo capacity in the belly hold of the wide-body Boeing 777-300ER, will enhance trade links between Brussels and Dubai, transporting pharmaceuticals, perishables such as chocolates, and automotive parts from Belgium to the UAE and beyond. With the launch of the new flight, inbound tourism is also expected to receive a significant boost, creating an anticipated 50,000 more tourist arrivals.

Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways have all been cleared to allow customers to bring electronic devices, including laptops, tablets and e-readers, on flights from the Middle East into the United States. The ban on electronic devices that was implemented on ME flights travelling to the United States since March 25, 2017 ended on July 5, 2017.

Emirates’ inaugural double-decker A380 service from Dubai to Nice recently landed at Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport, marking officially the replacement of Boeing 777-300ER used on this route with A380. The flight timings will remain unchanged. The passengers of the premium class in the A380 will get flat-bed seats as well as the Emirates Onboard Lounge to have a completely relaxed and enjoyable ride. First-class passengers can unwind in their very own private suite and leave all their travelling stress behind in the Emirates A380 Shower Spa.

Emirates recently launched a new daily service from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon. Badr Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Far East, was on board the inaugural flight on 1st July. Upon arrival, the aircraft was greeted in Phnom Penh by a traditional water cannon salute. Going per the local times, flights to Phnom Penh will depart daily from Dubai International Airport at 09:15 local time and arrive at Yangon at 17:25. It will then depart from Yangon at 18:55 and arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport at 21:25. On the return segment, flight EK389 will leave Phnom Penh at 23:10 and arrive at Yangon at 00:40. It will then set off for Dubai‎ at 02:10, arriving there at 05:40.

Emirates reminds customers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before flight departure because of ongoing heavy road works, construction around the main airport highways and summer rush. 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 and those who check in less than 60 minutes prior to 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 or use the facilities near its car park area to check in and drop off luggage 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. Alternatively, customers heading to Emirates Terminal 3 can choose to drop their luggage at one of the 46 dedicated bag drop counters. Passengers on US-bound flights starting their journeys in Dubai are encouraged to pack their electronic devices into their check-in luggage to avoid delays.

In keeping with the recent instructions from the governments of UAE, Saudi and Bahrain, seven carriers from the various Middle East countries have suspended their services to Doha with effect from June 6, 2017 until further notice. Among these airlines are Royal Jets, Etihad, Emirates, flydubai and Air Arabia from UAE; Saudia from Saudi and Gulf Air from Bahrain. While Etihad, Emirates and flydubai suspended all flights between Dubai and Doha, Royal Jets suspended their services between Abu Dhabi and Doha and Air Arabia suspended their flights between Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah and Doha. Saudia has suspended its flights between Saudi and Doha and Gulf Air between Bahrain and Doha. So all customers who have booked tickets on any of these airlines for flying to Doha will have to contact the airlines for alternative options, which will include full refunds on unused tickets or free re-booking to the nearest alternate destinations. For detailed information, the relevant airlines can be called or their websites can be looked up.