Tag Archives: Emirates

Emirates restarts flights to Newark via Athens, operates its first flight serviced by fully vaccinated frontline teams

Emirates has announced it will resume daily services to Newark via Athens from 1st June 2021. The resumed flight will provide global travelers with another access point to the popular New York Metropolitan area, serving the large Greek-American community in the United States while offering a convenient connection to travelers headed towards the Middle East, West Asia, and Africa via Dubai.

The addition of Newark via Athens willย take Emiratesโ€™ US networkย to 10 destinations following the resumption of services to Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK,ย Washington DC, Dallas and San Francisco (to resume on 2ndย March).

The Dubai-Athens-Newark flight will operateย daily with a three-class Boeingย 777-300ER, complementing Emiratesโ€™ double daily flights to New York (JFK) as the airline continues to expand across North America. The resumed link between Greece and the US will open up year round connectivity, facilitate trade, boost tourism and benefit consumers by providing them with choice and convenience. Emirates will also increase its flights to the Greek capital, Athens, flying daily toย support the newly resumedย service.

Emirates flight EK209 will depart Dubai at 1050hrs, arriving in Athens at 1500hrs before departing again at 1735hrs and arriving into Newark Liberty International Airportย at 2120hrs on the same day. The return flight EK210 will depart Newark at 2355ย hrs, arriving in Athens at 1605hrs the next day. EK210 will depart once again from Athens the next day at 1805hrsย bound for Dubai where it will arrive at 2335 hrs (all times are local).

Emirates has safely and gradually restarted operations across its network. Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the worldโ€™s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) โ€“ which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

In other news, Emirates operated its first flight serviced by fully vaccinated frontline teams across all customer touch points.

The airline continued;

Honoring its commitment to the health and safety of its employees and customers, Emirates today has become among the first airlines in the world to operate a flight with fully vaccinated frontline teams servicing customers at every touchpoint of the travel journey.

This morning, the full airport and onboard customer experience for flight EK215, which departed Dubai at 0830hrs for Los Angeles, was safely supported by check-in, security, Business and First Class lounge and boarding gate employees, as well as engineers, pilots and cabin crew who made the choice to be fully vaccinated.

Also supporting the flightโ€™s operations were fully vaccinated aircraft appearance, loading and special handling teams from dnata, as well as SkyCargo teams working on the cargo and logistics requirements for EK215.

Theย Emirates Group rolled out its vaccination driveย at pace just over a month ago, and since then, close to 26,000, or 44%, of the Groupโ€™s UAE frontline aviation workforce have received both doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Sinopharm vaccines.

Nearly 5,000 Cabin and Flight Deck Crew have opted to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, thousands more Emirates Group employees in other roles have taken their COVID-19 vaccine through the companyโ€™s clinics and vaccination centers, while others have opted to take their vaccine at one of the many vaccination centers across the UAE.

The Emirates Group vaccination program is the latest in its series of safeguards and protections to deliver on its health and safety promises to its customers, employees and the communities it serves around the world. The Groupโ€™s vaccination centers have been running 12 hours a day, every day of the week to prioritize and provide aviation front liners with the vaccine.

 

Emirates expands its operations in the Americas in line with increased passenger demand

Emirates has announced it will resume nonstop services to Seattle/Tacoma (from February 1, 2021), Dallas/Fort Worth and San Francisco (from March 2, 2021), offering its customers seamless connectivity via Dubai to and from popular destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

The addition of these three destinations will take Emiratesโ€™ North American network to 10 destinations following the resumption of services to Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Toronto and Washington DC.

Flights to/from San Francisco will operate four times weekly on Emiratesโ€™ Boeing 777-300ER while flights to/from Seattle/Tacoma (operating four times weekly) and Dallas/Fort Worth (three times weekly) will be operated with the two-class Boeing 777-200LR, offering 38 lie-flat seats in Business and 264 ergonomically designed seats in Economy class.

The airline will also be providing its customers more options and choice with additional flights to New York , Los Angeles and Sรฃo Paulo. Effective February 1, 2021, Emirates will be operating double daily flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and a daily flight to Los Angeles (LAX). Emirates customers also have seamless access to other US cities via the airlineโ€™s codeshare agreements with Jetblue and Alaskan Airlines.

In South America, Emirates will be introducing a fifth weekly flight to Sรฃo Paulo (from February 5, 2021), offering customers in Brazil even more travel options with greater access to its expanding network. Beyond Sรฃo Paulo, Emirates customers can enjoy seamless connectivity and access to 24 other cities in Brazil via the airlineโ€™s codeshare partnership with GOL and its interline agreements with Azul and LATAM.

Emirates has safely and gradually restarted operations across its network and currently serves 114 destinations on six continents.

 

Emirates unveils Premium Economy on its Airbus A380s

Emirates has made this announcement:

Emirates is taking its signature A380 experience to the next level with the unveil of a brand new Premium Economy cabin product, together with enhancements and a refreshed look across all cabins onboard its newest A380 aircraft.

The airline received its newest A380 aircraft from Airbusโ€™ Hamburg facility last week, and its remaining order of 5 A380s will also be delivered with premium economy cabins over 2021 and 2022. Emiratesโ€™ premium economy seats will also be installed on some of its Boeing 777X aircraft which are only due to join the fleet in 2023. Emirates is considering plans to retrofit its existing A380 fleet.

Emirates will announce details of where its A380 aircraft with Premium Economy will be deployed in the coming weeks.

Premium Economy: comfort and space

Emirates today unveiled details of its highly-anticipated premium economy cabin, which offers 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout.

With a generous pitch of up to 40-inches, Emiratesโ€™ premium economy seat is 19.5 inches wide, and reclines 8 inches into a comfortable cradle position with ample room to stretch out. Covered in cream-colored anti-stain leather with stitching details and a wood panel finishing similar to Business Class, each seat is designed to provide optimal comfort and support with 6-way adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests.

Each seat has a 13.3โ€ screen, one of the largest in its class, to enjoy the unmatched array of music, movies, TV, news and other content on Emiratesโ€™ award-winning ice.

Customers will also find thoughtful touches including easily accessible in-seat charging points, a wide dining table and side cocktail table.

Emirates Premium Economy is located at the front of the main deck, with 2 lavatories dedicated to customers.

First Class: even more privacy and luxury

On this latest Emirates A380, the airlineโ€™s 14 First Class private suites have been enhanced from the original suites, being slightly wider with taller doors, for even more privacy and comfort.

Cabin detail and finishes have also been refreshed with new motifs and colours, from the sweeping stairs that lead from the main deck to the upper deck, to refreshed design trims and modern fittings in the Shower Spa.

Business Class: new luxury finishes

Emirates has retained its popular A380 Business Class seats which offer direct aisle access for every passenger, reclines to a fully-flat position, and offers personal mini bars, ample personal storage and a high degree of privacy.

All 76 seats have been refreshed to feature champagne-coloured leather covers and wood finishing, inspired by executive jets, similar to the Business Class on Emiratesโ€™ Boeing 777 Gamechanger aircraft.

The same classic colour scheme has also been applied to the Onboard Lounge at the back of the upper deck, for the exclusive use of First and Business Class passengers.

Economy: gamechanger seats

Emirates has replaced all 338 Economy seats onboard its newest A380 withย ergonomically designed seats that come with full leather headrests and flexible side panels which can be adjusted vertically for optimum support.

This latest seat model is a step up from the version currently installed on Emiratesโ€™ย Boeing 777 Gamechanger aircraft. It is lighter, without compromising on comfort or function. Each seat features a classy wood grain finish on tray tables, as well as a 13.3โ€ personal screen to enjoy Emiratesโ€™ award-winning ice.

Refreshed cabin interiors

Throughout the Emirates A380 interior, customers will see new finishes and design touches featuring the Ghaf (prosopis cineraria) tree motif, as well as the clean and airy champagne colour scheme with wood panelling and bronze accents from Emiratesโ€™ latest Boeing 777 Gamechanger interiors.

An indigenous evergreen plant, the Ghaf is considered the national tree of the United Arab Emirates, and has deep cultural and ecological significance.

All cabin classes are equipped with theย latestย generation of Emiratesโ€™ award-winning iceย inflight entertainment system offering improved and superior image quality. Each in-seat screen will feature ultra-wide viewing angles, a capacitive touch screen, LED backlight and full HD display.

Emirates to deploy the Airbus A380 to Sao Paulo in January 2021

Emirates has announced that it will be operating its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft on the Dubai โ€“ Sao Paulo route between January 9 and 30, 2021. The Emirates A380 will be deployed four times weekly to Sao Paulo in response to the summer season increase in demand for travel to and from Brazil.

This will be the first time that the iconic aircraft returns to South America since the suspension of passenger flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Emirates resumed passenger flights to Sao Paulo in August 2020 on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Emirates restarts flights to Istanbul

Emirates has announced it will resume daily flights to Istanbul on December 21, 2020*.

The addition of Istanbul expands Emiratesโ€™ Europeanย network to 31 destinations, enabling customers to safely and easily connect to destinations across its wide global network with one convenient stop in Dubai. Emirates flight EK 121 will depart Dubai at 14:20 hrs, arriving in Istanbul at 18:20 hrs. The return flight, EK 122, will depart Istanbul at 20:05hrs, arriving in Dubai at 01:20 hrs the following day.

Flights to/from Istanbul will operate once daily by the Boeing 777- 300ER.

*Subject to government approval.

Emirates aircraft photo gallery:

Emirates aircraft slide show:

Emirates to resume flights to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Harare and Mauritius, boosting global network to 92 destinations

Emirates has announced it will resume flights to Johannesburg (October 1), Cape Town ( October 1), Durban (October 4) in South Africa; Harare in Zimbabwe (October 1); and Mauritius (October 3). The addition of the five points will expand the Emiratesโ€™ global network to 92 destinations, as the airline gradually resumes its operations while prioritising the safety of its customers, crew and the communities it serves around the world. Emiratesโ€™ African network will also now extend to 19 cities.

Customers flying in and out of Emiratesโ€™ three South African gateways can safely connect to Dubai and to an array of onwards connections to Europe, the Far East, Middle East, West Asia and Australasia.ย Flight schedules for Emiratesโ€™ South African destinations will be available on emirates.com later this week.

Emirates will operate to Harare with two weekly flights linked to its Lusaka service. The linked services will connect Zambia and Zimbabwe to key destinations across Europe, the Far East, the Americas, Australasia and West Asia with one convenient stop in Dubai.

Flights from Dubai to Mauritius will initially operate once a week on Saturdays, supporting the Mauritian governmentโ€™s repatriation efforts to bring its citizens home, and enabling the recovery of the countryโ€™s tourism industry by safely connecting leisure travellers from Europe, the Far East and the Middle East to the popular Indian Ocean island destination.

Emirates aircraft photo gallery:

Emirates brings back Amman, Lagos and Abuja to its route network

Emirates has announced it will resume passenger services to Amman, Jordan from September 8, 2020. The resumption of flights to the Jordanian capital takes the number of destinations Emirates serves in the Gulf and Middle East to eight cities, as the airline gradually resumes operations with the safety of its customers, crew and communities as its top priority.

Flights from Dubai to Amman will operate as a daily service on the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER

Emirates has also announced it will resume passenger services to Lagos (September 7, 2020) and Abuja (September 9, 2020) in Nigeria. The resumption of flights to both Nigerian cities takes Emiratesโ€™ African network to 13 destinations, as the airline works hard to help its customers travel safely and confidently, implementing industry-leading health and safety measures at all points of the travel journey.

Flights to Lagos will operate four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Flights to/from Abuja will operate as a daily service.

Reuters: Emirates got $2 billion injection from Dubai government

From Reuters:

“Emirates airline has received 7.3 billion dirhams ($2 billion) from the government of Dubai as it faces a cash crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a bond prospectus seen by Reuters shows.

Aviation has been one of the worst-hit industries during the pandemic and Emirates has cut thousands of jobs as it tries to manage the crisis, sources have said.

The government provided 7.3 billion dirhams to the airline it owns after Dubaiโ€™s crown prince in March promised equity to Emirates to see it through the crisis, the prospectus shows.

No such injection has been publicly announced by the government or the airline.

The details were disclosed in a prospectus for a potential bond issuance by the Dubai government.”

Emirates to operate special flights to five cities

Emirates made this announcement:

Emirates will operate repatriation flights to Bengaluru, Kochi, Delhi, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram from August 20 until August 31. The special flights will facilitate travel for Indian citizens in the UAE wishing to return home, and for residents of UAE currently in India to return to the UAE.

The airline will operate repatriation flights to India on the following dates:

  • Bengaluru: 21, 23, 25, 28, and 30 August
  • Kochi: 20, 22, 24, 27, 29 and 31 August*
  • Delhi: daily flights until 31 August
  • Mumbai: daily flights until 31 August
  • Thiruvananthapuram: 26 August*

All flights will be operated with the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER.

Flights from Dubai to India

Only Indian citizens stranded in the UAE will be allowed to fly from Dubai to the five Indian destinations.

Flights from India to Dubai

Flights will be available for UAE nationals and residents with prior entry approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDFRA) for residents of Dubai and ICA approval for residents of other emirates of the UAE, and whose final destination is the UAE.

Flights to/from Pakistan

Emirates has also revised its flight timings to/from Sialkot, Pakistan to offer customers better connections via Dubai with seven weekly flights – providing greater access to its current network of 75 cities across six continents. Effective August 22, Emirates flight EK 618 will depart Dubai at 20:55 hrs and arrive in Sialkot at 1:10 hrs. The return flight, EK 619 will depart Sialkot at 2:40 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 5:00 hrs.

In addition to Sialkot, Emirates offers customers direct flights to four other cities in Pakistan including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar.

Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE),ย including UAE citizens, residents and tourists,ย irrespective of the country they are coming from.

*Flights from Kochi to Dubai will operate on 21, 23, 25, 28, 30 August and 1 September.

*Flights from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai will operate on 27 August.

Emirates to resume its Airbus A380 service to Toronto

Emirates has released this statement:

The iconic Emirates Airbus A380 will begin serving travelers on flights to Toronto starting 16 August. The airline has so far resumed A380 operations to Amsterdam, Cairo, Paris, London Heathrow and Guangzhou (8 August) โ€“ taking its A380 network to six cities. The Emirates A380 experience remains a favourite amongst travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins and the airline will continue to gradually expand its deployment in line with market demand and operational approvals.

Customers can fly the Emirates A380 from Dubai to Toronto five times a week.ย Emirates flight EK 241 will depart Dubai at 9:10 and arrive in Toronto at 15:05 local time. The return flight, EK 242 will depart Toronto at 21:45 and arrive in Dubai at 18:30 local time, the following day.

With safety as a priority, Emirates is gradually expanding its passenger services to 70 cities in August, returning to over 50% of its pre-pandemic destination network. Passengers travelling between the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific can enjoy safe and convenient connections via Dubai. Customers from Emiratesโ€™ networkย can stop over orย travel to Dubai as the city hasย re-opened for international business and leisure visitors.

COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE),ย including UAE citizens, residents and tourists,ย irrespective of the country they are coming from.