Major Emirates route expansion

Major Emirates route expansion

Emirates To Open New Gateways On Four Continents In 2004

Emirates, the Dubai-based, award-winning international airline, plans to open six new destinations in 2004, including gateways in the US, Scotland, central Europe, China and West Africa, in a network expansion spread across four continents.

On January 2, the airline's operations in Africa leaps forward with flights to Lagos and Accra. On April 10, Shanghai, Emirates' first destination in mainland China, and Glasgow, the airline's fifth point in the UK, come on line. On May 1, flights to Vienna in Europe's heartland, will start. And on June 1, Emirates launches new, non-stop service to New York providing the first direct air link between the Middle East and North America and making Emirates a truly global airline.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates, said: "In 2004, Emirates will fly further than ever before to reach our goal of a truly global airline. We will open destinations where we know there is demand with services that meet passengers requirements using the very latest technology."

New York, New York! The new non-stop service will dramatically reduce travelling times for business and leisure passengers between East Coast USA and the Lower Gulf and destinations beyond. To date, travel has often been via a point in Europe sometimes requiring a change of terminal. Emirates' new Airbus A340-500 brings a new dimension of comfort and inflight entertainment with a state-of-the-art inter-active system with 500 channels including videos on demand.

Flights: Daily flights start on June 1, subject to government approval, and will be operated with the A340-500 in three-class configuration.

Gateway to Scotland Emirates' passengers from Scotland will gain a daily, upmarket, long haul service to Dubai and points east when flights between Dubai and Glasgow start on 10 April. The non-stop service to Dubai will eliminate the need to travel between Dubai and Scotland via a European gateway and to change terminals in London.

Flights: Daily flights start on April 10 and will be operated with an Airbus A330-200 in two-class configuration.

Vienna, a cultured capital The Austrian capital, Vienna, home of the waltz and the famous Opera House, becomes the airline's 18th destination on mainland Europe on May 1. Austria has strong historic links with the Middle East. Those ties continue today with vibrant business and commercial links.

Austria's mountain scenery and winter sports make it a year-round destination for leisure travellers from the Gulf, while outbound passengers to Dubai are expected to include both business and leisure.

Flights: Flights start four times weekly on 1 May and daily flights from 15 May, subject to government approval.

New route to West Africa Emirates service to the Nigerian capital Lagos and Accra, capital of neighbouring Ghana, provide the first direct air link between West Africa and the Gulf, boosting trade between the two regions. This new service opens up West African markets and provides West Africans with their first direct link to Dubai and points eastwards. Emirates has steadily expanded its operations in North and East Africa since flights to Cairo began in 1986.

Flights: Four times weekly from January 2 non-stop to Lagos and continuing to Accra. Flights will be operated with an A330-200 in three-class configuration. Emirates has full traffic rights between Lagos and Accra.

Full service to Shanghai Emirates' passenger services follow in the wake of its highly successful cargo-only services to Shanghai, its first destination on mainland China. China's largest city, aims to become a major international financial and trading centre.

Flights: Flights will be four times weekly from 10 April and daily from 15 May. They will be operated with an A340-300 in three-class configuration.

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