Emirates broadens its African network with Lusaka and Harare launch

Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing airlines, has extended its reach into Africa with the launch of a new linked flights to Harare and Lusaka. Now flying to 22 points within Africa, Emirates will connect Zambia and Zimbabwe to key markets across Europe, the Far East, Australasia and the Indian Subcontinent.

The Dubai-Lusaka-Harare service operates every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday using an A330-200 aircraft in a three class configuration.EK 713 departs Dubai at 0925hrs, arriving in Lusaka at 1450hrs. The onward flights to Harare departs Lusaka at 1620hrs, reaching the Zimbabwean capital at 1720hrs. The return flight leaves Harare at 1920hrs, arriving Lusaka at 2020hrs. It departs Lusaka at 2150hrs, landing in Dubai at 0710hrs the next day.
"Zambia and Zimbabwe are both important emerging business and industrial centres, with economies that are projected to grow by over five per cent annually during the coming years," said Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President Revenue Optimisation & Distribution.
He said, "Emirates' new service will play a significant role in supporting this growth by connecting Lusaka and Harare to our worldwide network, opening new conduits for trade, investment and tourism."
On board today's flight were Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President Revenue Optimisation & Distribution; Jean Luc Grillet, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Africa; Muhammed Riza, Manager Commercial Business Development; Duncan Watson, Emirates Regional Manager Cargo Commercial; The Honourable Given Lubinda, Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs; The Honourable Yamfwa Mukanga, Zambian Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications; The Honourable Fackson Shamenda, Zambian Minister of Tourism; the Honourable Nicholas Goche, Zimbabwean Minister of Transport; Marah Hativagone, Chairperson, Zimbabwean Tourism Council (ZTC); Rueben K. Walobele, Special Assistant to Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Chitalu Kabalika, Aid to Zambian Minister of Transport; Agnes Chaila, Business Development Manager, National Airport Corporation Ltd. (NACL) and Cleophas Mathabire, Aid to the Zimbabwean Minister of Transport.
Upon arrival at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, Emirates' inaugural Flight 713 was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute.
"Emirates' decision to operate to Lusaka represents new economic doors being opened to our country. The fact that this airline, which is successful on all continents, is entering markets like ours as part of its expansion plans is clear evidence of excellent future prospects for Zambia and Zambians," said the Honourable Given Lubinda, the Zambian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Emirates services to Lusaka will be a huge boost to its tourism industry, helping to support the Zambia Tourism Board's target for increasing visitor arrivals by 22.5% to one million visitors in 2012.
The onward connection to Harare, operated by Zimbabwean Captain Ca Busiso Ndlovu, also received a warm welcome at Harare International Airport. Later that evening, leading figures from the travel trade, local businesses and the government attended a gala dinner event which featured performances by local stars Victor Kunonga, Dudu Manhenga and Oliver Tuku.
"The arrival of Emirates flights to Zimbabwe is a very significant development for the market. We welcome the entrance of a truly global airline; with an extensive network, large fleet and great reputation for quality service which will greatly improve choice and connectivity for Zimbabwean travelers," said the Honourable Nicholas Goche, Zimbabwean Minister of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development. "Emirates will bring greater capacity and fare competitiveness, which will certainly lead to traffic growth to and from Zimbabwe."
It is expected that Emirates' flights to Harare will support the Tourism Ministry's projections that the sector will contribute over $5bn to the Zimbabwean economy by 2015. To support the linked service, Emirates will promote Zambia and Zimbabwe's tourism attractions, including Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River, game reserves and safaris, in advertising campaigns executed across the airline's global network. Emirates Holidays will also feature eight pages on Zimbabwe and Zambia in its 2012 World of Choice brochure.
With a fleet of 169 aircraft, Emirates is the world's largest Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 operator. The airline placed an order for 50 new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at the Dubai Airshow in November, bringing its total order book to 236 aircraft, worth over $84bn at list prices.
Following the launch of Lusaka and Harare, Emirates will start services to Dallas, Texas on 2nd February and Seattle on 1st March, Ho Chi Minh City on 4th June and Barcelona on 3rd July.

Emirates announces triple daily service to Milan

Emirates is driving forward its operations in Europe by announcing a third daily flight to Milan from 1st June, taking to 49 the number of weekly flights offered to Italy.

EK 101 will leave Dubai at 0340hrs and arrive in Milan Malpensa at 0825hrs, ready for business in the city considered the engine room of Italy’s economy and home to the nation’s stock exchange.
The return flight, EK 102, departs Milan at 1110hrs and arrives in Dubai at 1920hrs. The new service will be operated by a 237-seat Airbus A330-200 in a three-class configuration.
“Our European network is growing stronger and stronger and a number of important developments are taking place in Italy,” said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ senior vice president, commercial operations, Europe and Russian Federation. “This is another significant investment in the Italian market and we look forward to offering further choice and excellent value for money to travellers and businesses, including the cargo community.”
The extra A330-200 flight brings an additional 15 tonnes of daily cargo capacity to an already active cargo route.

The latest expansion in Italy comes after news that the airline’s Venice flight would go twice daily from 25th March. Launched in 2007, The Venice service remains the only non-stop passenger flight to and from Dubai.

“Our expansion in Europe is particularly significant in these challenging economic times. We are creating and supporting jobs in the travel industry and many other related sectors, while opening up new markets to importers and exporters,” added Obaidalla.
With a fleet of 169 aircraft, Emirates is now flying to 121 destinations, having just launched Dallas, Lusaka and Harare.

Emirates Airline to increase flights

THE Emirates Airline will increase flights to Harare in Zimbabwe and Lusaka, to six times a week by October this year from the current five.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) based Airline launched its Lusaka and Harare route last week said the move will ease connectivity from the two countries to Dubai and other destinations world-wide.

Emirates Airline senior vice-president for commercial operations in Africa Jean-Luc Grillet said sound economic policies existing in Zambia had resulted in increased volumes of tourists, traders and investors travelling to and from Lusaka, hence the need for the airline to exploit such an opportunity.

Addressing journalists in Lusaka, Mr Grillet said the airline had a cargo capacity of 16,000 tonnes and this would enhance exports from Zambia to various destinations adding that the airline is committed to contributing to the country’s economic growth through the facilitation of efficient connectivity.

Air Zimbabwe's Recovery ruined as Emirates Airlines Opens Harare Route

Emirates Airlines made its maiden flight to Harare Wednesday amid pomp and fanfare with the airline set to connect Zimbabweans to more than 100 destinations around the world and boost the country’s recovering tourism industry.

Several cabinet ministers, civil aviation officials and representatives of the airline attended the ceremony which critics said may well spell doom to the financially crippled Air Zimbabwe, which recently suspended some of its regional and international flights in fear of having its planes impounded by creditors.

Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi told VOA's Gibbs Dube that Emirates Airlines will operate five Zimbabwe flights a week, linking Harare with Zambia, Dubai, Europe, Asia and other international destinations.

Mzembi said the airline is expected to promote tourism in Zimbabwe which is anticipated to generate US$5 billion for the country by 2015.

The minister said the Emirates arrival was a wake up call for the struggling Air Zimbabwe which used to compete with more than 45 airlines that operated in Harare in the 1990s.

Economic analyst Masimba Kuchera observed that Emirates Airlines will help promote economic growth in Zimbabwe.

Emirates and Alaska Airlines launch frequent flier alliance

Emirates said on Monday that it has launched a frequent flier partnership with Alaska Airlines as the Dubai carrier prepares to launch services to Seattle starting on March 1.

The Double Miles deal will offer travellers the opportunity to accrue Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles when they fly to any of Emirates' 118 destinations globally, including points across Africa, India and the Middle East, Emirates stated.

It added that Emirates Skywards members can also accrue miles across the Alaska Airlines network in the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada and Mexico.

Under the new partnership, travellers connecting between any point on Emirates and Alaska Airlines' networks will also be able to check in for their flights at either carrier's counter, receive their boarding passes and check their bags to their final destination.

Emirates will operate a daily non-stop flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Dubai aboard an ultra-long range B777-300ER from March 1 this year with Seattle becoming the airline's sixth US gateway , joining New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston and from February 2, Dallas/Fort Worth.

"As part of our commitment to Seattle, we are launching our service by partnering with Seattle's hometown airline to offer customers the convenience of a frequent flier partnership as well as one-stop check-in and through checked baggage, providing easier access to a vast range of points across the United States, Canada and Mexico," Nigel Page, Emirates' Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for the Americas, said in a statement.

To celebrate the new partnership, both airlines are offering double miles on each others' flights starting March 1 through May 31, 2012. To earn Double Miles, members must register their Skywards number at skywards.com or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number at alaskaair.com prior to their first qualifying flight.

Emirates strengthens East Africa service with direct flights

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, will soon offer customers a quicker and more convenient link to Uganda, with the introduction of a direct service.

“As demand for our Entebbe service continues to grow, customers can now enjoy the convenience of a non-stop air link with Dubai. Our new direct service will offer seamless connections to key destinations in the Middle East, Indian Sub-continent, Asia and the Far East, together with the award-winning in-flight service for which Emirates is renowned," said Jean Luc Grillet, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for Africa.

Starting 25th March, EK 729 will depart Dubai at 0825hrs each day, arriving in Entebbe at 12:35hrs. The return leg, EK 730, will leave the Ugandan city at 1540hrs and get into Dubai at 2155hrs.

“At Emirates, we continually look for new ways to improve the service we provide to our customers. 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 Jean Luc. Emirates will operate an Airbus A330-200 on its Entebbe routes in a three-class configuration, featuring 12 luxurious First Class seats, 42 seats in Business Class and generous space for 183 passengers in Economy Class. Onboard, passengers can enjoy delicacies from an exclusive menu served to them by Emirates’ cabin crew representing over 120 nations.

With a fleet of 168 aircraft and the largest A380 and Boeing 777 operator in the world, Emirates currently serves 20 destinations in the African continent, with new flights to Zambia and Zimbabwe starting from February 2012.
To date, Emirates’ Entebbe route has been operated as a linked service with Addis Adaba.

Emirates to add more flights to Pakistan

KARACHI: Emirates has announced two additional flights a week to Northern Pakistan. From February 7th Emirates will serve its passengers in Lahore and Islamabad eight times a week. The airline will now be operating 47 flights into and out of Pakistan with an additional weekly flight operating to both Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore and Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad. Commenting on the occasion, Badr Abbas, Emirates’ Vice President, Pakistan and Afghanistan, said: “The increased frequencies are testament to our long-term plan in Pakistan. In just a few months we have increased our flights from 39 flights a week to 47 flights a week.

Emirates launches new routes to Dublin, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires from Dubai

Emirates have been busy at the start of the New Year by adding three new destinations to its network. On 3 January, the airline launched a new service from its Dubai (DXB) hub to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) – a distance of almost 11,900 kilometres – before continuing to Buenos Aires (EZE). Rio is Emirates’ second destination in Brazil after São Paulo. The new flights operate daily with 354-seat 777-300ERs. Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ EVP Passenger Sales Worldwide, commented: “Emirates will offer customers in Brazil and Argentina the most efficient and comfortable route to the Middle and Far East, including the airline’s four destinations in China and two gateways in Japan, which are key trading partners for both countries.” This makes Emirates the second ‘MEB3’ airline to serve Argentina after Qatar Airways’ Doha-Sao Paulo-Buenos Aires route. On 9 January, Emirates became the second ‘MEB3’ carrier to serve the Irish capital Dublin (DUB) after Etihad. Emirates’ daily flights are operated with A330-200 aircraft. Dublin Airport Authority’s CEO Declan Collier said: “Emirates’ decision to enter the Irish market shows the continued demand for long-haul services into and out of Ireland. Connectivity is essential for business and for tourism and this new service to Dubai, and the onward connections that it will provide will be very beneficial for the Irish economy.” In an interview with the Irish Independent, Emirates’ VP UK and Ireland, Laurie Berryman, revealed that the airline expects 55% of passengers on the new route to originate on the island of Ireland, and that 65-75% of these passengers will transfer in Dubai to Emirates’ onward destinations in the Far East and Australasia. Around 5,000 Irish nationals live in the UAE and approximately 80,000 in Australia, which is a key market.

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 launches internet connectivity on A380s

Emirates passengers now have the opportunity to connect to wireless internet networks and surf the web, send emails and access social networking sites during flights on the Airbus A380.

Users of smartphones, tablets and laptops can access the service by opening up their device's wireless connections and logging on to the OnAir network.

Prices start from US$7.50 (£4.84) for mobiles and US$15 for laptops.

The airline has launched Wi-Fi connectivity on 11 of its 19 A380s currently in service, with the facility set to be made available on the entire fleet of 71 superjumbos on order.

Emirates spokesman Patrick Brannelly said the carrier recognises the growing importance of inflight web access, especially on longer journeys.

'Adding internet access is going to be a vital and ubiquitous part of any inflight experience, just as it is in everyday life on the ground,' he added.

Furthermore, the airline revealed that all new Airbus A380s delivered from mid-2012 will come with a full range of Wi-Fi, mobile phone and data services.