Tag Archives: Rio de Janeiro

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 …

Qatar Airways has announced eight more destinations for 2017-18, in addition to seven previously announced new cities for a total of 15 new gateways. Joining the Qatar Airways’ route network are: Canberra, the airline’s fifth destination in Australia; Dublin, Ireland; Las Vegas, the airline’s 11th destination in the United States; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Medan, Kualanamu International Airport, the airline’s third destination in Indonesia; and Tabuk and Yanbu, the 9th and 10th destinations in Saudi Arabia. These newly-announced destinations join the already-announced list of new destinations to start in 2017: Auckland, New Zealand will start 5 February 2017, and will be the world’s longest commercial flight; Sarajevo, Bosnia; Skopje, Macedonia; Libreville, Gabon; Nice, France; Chiang Mai, the airline’s fourth destination in Thailand; and Douala, Cameroon. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “Qatar Airways offers the world the best network, the best on board experience and the best connecting experience at Hamad International Airport. We operate the world’s youngest fleet, averaging just five years old, and we fly the most technologically advanced aircraft that provide our passengers with an award-winning experience while also ensuring the most efficient and environmentally friendly operations. Our intention is to ensure our passengers can choose Qatar Airways for all of their travel needs – whether they are flying on business, for pleasure, or a combination of both. With today’s network announcement, we will be able to connect more people to more places than any other Gulf airline, and we will ensure our passengers will delight in the journey. At Qatar Airways, we are going places together with our passengers, and we look forward to welcoming these new destinations …