Emirates Airline set to boost Flights to Pakistan

Emirates Airline said on Monday that it was strengthened its commitment to Pakistan by adding a fifth daily flights to Karachi and from the city of Karachi. 

Effective August 1, the airline will be operating to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi five times a day.

The Dubai carrier said the move reinforced its presence in the Pakistani landscape and provided passengers with "more flexibility and options" when travelling to the country's commercial hub.

It added that it planned further improvements to its services to Pakistan in the future.

"This is very exciting news for us as Karachi was the inaugural destination of Emirates when the airline began operations in 1985," said Badr Abbas, vice president Pakistan & Afghanistan, commenting on the development.

"Today we are proud to have announced a fifth daily flight to Karachi in a move to better serve our Pakistani passengers and strengthen the historic relationship between Pakistan and UAE.

"We hope to continue on this path by further expanding our services in Pakistan and are grateful to all the relevant government and aviation authorities for making this possible."

Karachi is known as the financial capital of Pakistan and the additional flight will also boost economic activity by providing increased cargo capacity for popular Pakistani exports to many destinations on Emirates' global network.

In the past six months, Emirates said it has experienced robust growth and increased its presence in Northern Pakistan by starting additional flights to Peshawar, Lahore and Islamabad.

Starting August, Emirates will be operating 54 weekly flights to and from four cities in Pakistan – Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar – of which two frequencies are subject to Government approval.

Emirates Airline discounts offer up to 30 per cent

Emirates airline has announced a three-day sale offering customers discounts of up to 30 per cent to select destinations across its network.

The Emirates airline intends to maximise available seats on its flights to these destinations during this ‘slow’ period and is hoping that more travelers will take unplanned trips to avail of this offer.

“With less money spent on their flight, our passengers will have more to spend on the ground, perfect for an impromptu trip away,” said Khalid Bel Jaflah, Emirates Vice-President Commercial Sales UAE.

Available on selected return economy and business class tickets to 40 international destinations, the sale is valid for booking from today, Tuesday the February 7th, until Thursday, February 9, 2012.

According to a statement by Emirates, some of the most popular destinations included in this offer are expected to be: London, Dallas, Zurich, Beirut, Bangkok, Karachi, Paris and Mumbai. A number of Emirates’ newest destinations are also included in the offer such as Dallas, Seattle, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.

“Whether travelling for leisure or business, our three-day sale provides customers with the opportunity to reach their desired destination for less,” added Bel Jaflah. To avail of this offer, outbound travel must commence on or before 10th June 2012.

Emirates eyes direct flights to Ugandan capital

Emirates Airline said on Tuesday it is planning to launch direct flights to Uganda from March.

To date, Emirates’ Entebbe route has been operated as a linked service with Addis Adaba but it will start direct services to the city from March 25, the airline said in a statement.

“As demand for our Entebbe service continues to grow, customers can now enjoy the convenience of a non-stop air link with Dubai," said Jean Luc Grillet, senior vice president of Commercial Operations for Africa.

“Entebbe is an important market for Emirates in the East African region and we are dedicated to ensuring our customers have access to the highest service standards both in the air and on the ground,” added Grillet.

Emirates will operate an Airbus A330-200 on its Entebbe routes.

With a fleet of 168 aircraft, Emirates currently serves 20 destinations in the African continent, with new services to Lusaka, Zambia and Harare, Zimbabwe starting next month.

Zambia and Zimbabwe, which share a border with the Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, will be linked with a five times weekly flight from Dubai, starting from February 1.

Emirates Airline launches direct flight to Vietnam

Emirates Airline, a leading international carrier of the United Arab Emirates, announced the launch of a direct flight to Ho Chi Minh City, starting June 4 this year.

Ho Chi Minh City will be the 124th destination among 68 countries serviced by Emirates Airline.

The carrier will use Airbus 330-200 and Boeing 777-300 ER aircrafts for its flights to Vietnam. Presently it has a fleet of 168 aircrafts, including A380, the world’s largest commercial airplane. Trade between Vietnam and UAE exceeded US$24 million in 2010.

Emirates launches flights from Dubai to Dublin

Emirates Airline' first flight between Dublin and Dubai has launched today.

The route, which started on Monday, is served by a three-class A330-200. EK0161 departs Dubai at 07.00 and arrives at Dublin Airport's Terminal 2 at 11.30, with EK0162 departing Dublin at 12.55 and landing in Dubai at 00.25 the next day.

Irish and Gulf states passengers, who for years have had to transit Heathrow or other major European hubs, now have a choice of carriers between the two destinations.

Etihad Airways currently offers 10 flights per week from Dublin to Abu Dhabi, with a mixture of morning (09.20) and evening (20.55) departures from Ireland.

Reports have been recently circulating that Etihad is considering the purchase of a 25% stake in Aer Lingus, although the Irish government and Etihad have played down the story.

An Etihad spokesman said: "We never comment on speculation of this nature, except to say that we talk regularly and frequently to many airlines and a range of other businesses from all over the world about issues and opportunities."

Emirates launches global sale slashing 25% fare

Emirates, one of the world's fastest-growing international airlines, is celebrating the New Year by offering exceptional discounts on airfares to more than 100 cities, when booking from now until January 9, 2012.

Customers can save up to 25 per cent off all published First Class, Business Class and Economy Class fares departing between 22 January and 30 June 2012, when travelling round-trip to any destination on Emirates' extensive global network.

"Whether your New Year's resolution is to spend more time with family and friends, visit a dream destination or follow your favourite sports team at a far-flung tournament, our global sale is designed to ensure that Emirates customers enjoy the perfect start to 2012," said Thierry Antinori, Emirates' Executive Vice President - Passenger Sales Worldwide.

"For the first time in Emirates' history, we are welcoming in the New Year by offering unprecedented savings to our customers. With up to 25 percent off Economy Class, Business Class and First Class airfares to every destination on our international network, there has never been a better time to experience the award-winning product and onboard service which has made Emirates Airline of the Year in 2011," Antinori added.

Book online at http://www.flightsmaster.co.uk/airlines/emirates-airline/ and discover gourmet multi-course meals, complimentary wines, dedicated children's menus and activities, and ice, Emirates' award winning entertainment system offering more than 1,200 channels of on-demand entertainment at every seat.

Renowned for its excellence in service and innovation, both on board and on the ground, Emirates holds an array of prestigious awards, including Air Transport World's 2011 "Airline of the Year" award and the Skytrax World Airline Award for "World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment," for the seventh year in a row.

Emirates starts flights to Melbourne and Tokyo

Emirates said, it has welcomed its 20th Airbus A380 to its rapidly expanding fleet by announcing Melbourne and Tokyo as two new destinations for its flagship aircraft in 2012.

Melbourne joined the Emirates network in 1996 and the airline now operates three daily flights from Dubai, one non-stop, one via Singapore and the other via Kuala Lumpur. The A380 will operate as EK406, the non-stop flight from Dubai to Melbourne and on to Auckland from 1st October 2012.

Melbourne's A380 service will be Emirates' second A380 operation in Australia and New Zealand, following the introduction of the aircraft on the Dubai-Sydney-Auckland route in 2009.

In 2012, Emirates will be celebrating its tenth year of services between Dubai and Japan, and its third year of operating to Narita International Airport. Demand on the Dubai-Tokyo route has continued to grow, prompting the need for the daily service to be operated by an A380 from 1st July 2012.

Emirates' A380 service to Tokyo will operate as EK318 departing Dubai at 0250hrs and arriving at Narita International Airport at 5:35pm the same day. The return flight of EK 319 departs Narita at 2200hrs and touches down in Dubai at 0415hrs the following day.

"This announcement demonstrates our commitment to the Far East and Australasian region, as Emirates takes delivery of its 20th Airbus A380 aircraft," said Richard Jewsbury, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Far East and Australasia.

"Emirates not only offers a world-class in-flight experience but a superior global network. The announcement of enhanced services into Melbourne and Tokyo comes as we introduce flights from Dubai to Dublin, our 29th European destination and Dubai to Buenos Aires, via Rio de Janeiro, our latest South American destinations," added Jewsbury.

Emirates took delivery of its first A380 in July 2008 and since that date the number of A380 destinations on the Emirates network has grown and will reach 17 on 1st January 2012 with the addition of Kuala Lumpur.

Set in a three-class configuration (14 First, 76 Business and 399 Economy Class seats), the Emirates A380 offers a level of comfort and space never seen before on a commercial airliner. Spread over two levels, the entire upper deck is dedicated to Premium Class passengers.

Emirates' A380 currently operate services from Dubai to London Heathrow (double-daily, triple daily from 24th January 2012 and four times a day from 25th March 2012), Manchester, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome, Munich, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Jeddah, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney, Johannesburg and Auckland. From 1st January 2012, the A380 will be deployed on the Kuala Lumpur route.

Emirates boosts A380 flights from London to Dubai

UK travellers planning to catch flights to Dubai next year will have more opportunities to travel on the Airbus A380 with Emirates.

Shortly after announcing that it will deploy the world's largest passenger plane on a third daily service from London Heathrow to Dubai from 24 January 2012, the carrier has confirmed that a fourth A380 connection will be available on the route from 25 March.

In both cases, the Airbus plane will replace the Boeing 777 in order to carry more passengers from the UK airport, where airline expansion is limited by capacity constraints.

The move will make Emirates the largest operator of the A380 at Heathrow.

Salem Obaidalla, the Middle Eastern carrier's senior vice president of commercial operations in Europe, said: 'This demonstrates the beauty of the A380 - its ability to increase our service to our passengers in style and without adding traffic to London Heathrow's busy schedule.'

Emirates will also be expanding its presence in Dublin next year with the launch of a new daily service to Dubai from the city on 9 January.

Emirates Airline Cancels Two Flights Due To UK Strike

Emirates Airline said Monday it had canceled two flights on its Dubai-London route ahead of a planned public sector strike in the U.K on Wednesday.

"Due to the announced strike of the U.K. Border Control Authority at all U.K. airports on the 30th November, Emirates has unfortunately had to cancel EK029, Dubai to London Heathrow, and the returning EK030," said a spokesman for Dubai-based Emirates.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways earlier Monday said it had canceled three flights on its London-Abu Dhabi route ahead of the nationwide public sector strike in the U.K., which is likely to cause chaos at the world's busiest international airport.