With the November 13th launch just around the corner, Emirates has welcomed guests to a gala dinner in Baghdad, giving the city a glimpse of the airline’s award-winning hospitality.

His Excellency Ali Al Allaq, secretary general of Iraq’s Cabinet, His Excellency Mohammed Emran, minister of foreign affairs Kurdistan Territory, His Excellency Abdulla Ibrahim Al Shehi, UAE ambassador to Iraq, Salar Al Amin vice chairman, investment authority and captain Saad Al Khafaji director general Iraqi Airways, were among the 300 guests in attendance which included representatives from the local business community, key government officials and members of the local Iraqi media.

Held at the Sheraton Hotel, guests were treated to food, music and entertainment during the course of the evening, as well as a presentation from the carrier’s senior executives.

“Baghdad has been on our wish list for some time and we are now ready for our launch on the November 13th,” said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates senior vice president, commercial operations Gulf, Middle East and Iran.

“The excellent turnout at this evening’s reception is indicative of how positively Emirates is perceived in the local market.

“With much of the country’s manufacturing, finance and commerce concentrated in and around Baghdad, our new service will play a central role in linking the city with the broader business community.”

The launch of Baghdad will be Emirates’ second gateway into Iraq after Basra, which started in February this year.

“Basra has been a very successful first foray into Iraq for Emirates. Our passenger loads have been consistently strong and we are confident that these positive booking numbers will also be reflected in our forthcoming Baghdad operation,” added Kooky.

Emirates will operate an Airbus 330 between Dubai and Baghdad, in a three-class configuration. EK941 will depart Dubai at 07:55 touching down at Baghdad International Airport at 09:40 the same day.

At 11:35, return flight EK942 will depart Baghdad arriving in Dubai at 14:55 the same day.

The service will operate on a Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The airline currently has 114 international destinations and a fleet of 157 aircraft. Over the next six months, Emirates will launch a further nine destinations including; St. Petersburg, Baghdad, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Lusaka, Harare, Seattle and Dallas.

Source: BTN

Dubai's flagship airline Emirates will sponsor Britain's first urban cable car spanning London's river Thames, saying it hoped the new addition to the city's skyline would be ready for next year's Olympics.

The GBP£60 million (USD$92.3 million) project, due to be completed next summer, will link the 02 arena, which hosts concerts and sporting events on the south bank, with the ExCeL conference venue on the north side.

Both arenas will host events during the 2012 Games.

Emirates will sponsor the cable car river crossing in a 10-year-deal worth GBP£36 million.

The airline has used British sport to boost its brand since 2004 when it announced a shirt sponsorship deal with Premier League football club Arsenal and naming rights on its new ground in north London.

Transport for London will look to meet the funding shortfall by applying for a grant from the European regional development fund, secondary sponsors, retail opportunities at the two stations, and income from fares.

It is hoped the cable car, to be called Emirates Air Line, will act as a catalyst for the further regeneration of east London, where the Games will be held between July 27 and August 12.

"This multi-million pound deal is tremendous news for London, helping us to deliver a new addition to the city's skyline," Mayor of London Boris Johnson said in a statement.

"The Emirates Air Line will be an exciting and innovative mode of transport easing travel for thousands and offering spectacular bird's eye vistas of our majestic Thames."

Construction began in July, but Transport for London was cautious on whether it would be ready in time for the Olympics, saying it had not been part of the transport plan for the Games.

"It would be a nice bonus if it is (ready for the Olympics)," a spokesman for Emirates said.

The cable car will be able to carry up to 2,500 people per hour in each direction during the five-minute journey, and is expected to carry two million passengers a year.

The stretch of Thames is currently served by road tunnels, but no bridges.

Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said the cable car crossing "will take off as an iconic landmark for London".

Source: Reuters

Emirates flight routes to east asia

Emirates is one of the largest airlines in the world. The airline is based in the United Arab Emirates. Emirates flight routes to almost all cities in the world, including cities in East Asia. Countries in East Asia which became the Emirates flight route is China, Japan, and South Korea.

Emirates flight routes to southeast asia

Emirates is an airline based in United Arab Emirates. The airline flies to around the world and has the longest route without transit. To route to Southeast Asia, including: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

logo of Fly Emirates

Cities in the Middle East Region

Dubai - Muscat, with a flight distance of 347 km

Dubai - Doha, with a flight distance of 382 km

Dubai - Bahrain, with a flight distance of 487 km

Dubai - Sana'a, with a flight distance of 1588 km

Dubai - Jeddah, with a flight distance of 1699 km

Dubai - Riyadh, with a flight distance of 872 km

Dubai - Dammam, with a flight distance of 573 km

Dubai – Medina, with a flight distance of 1583 km

Dubai - Basra, with a flight distance of 958 km

Dubai - Cairo, with a flight distance of 2414 km

Dubai - Tehran, with a flight distance of 1222 km

Dubai - Bahrain, with a flight distance of 487 km

Dubai - Amman, with a flight distance of 2020 km

Dubai - Beirut, with a flight distance of 2140 km

Cities on the Continent and America

Dubai - Moscow, with a flight distance of 3639 km

Dubai - Larnaca, with a flight distance of 2340 km

Dubai - Athens, with a flight distance of 3287 km

Dubai - Istanbul, with a flight distance of 3007 km

Dubai - Malta, with a flight distance of 4054 km, via Larnaca

Dubai - Rome, with a flight distance of 4341 km

Dubai - Milan, with a flight distance of 4.706 km

Dubai - Venice, with a flight distance of 4429 km

Dubai - Madrid, with a flight distance of 5.659 km

Dubai - Munich, with a flight distance of 4561 km

Dubai - Paris, with a flight distance of 5236 km

Dubai - Frankfurt, with a flight distance of 4841 km

Dubai - Amsterdam, with a flight distance of 5174 km

Dubai - Prague, with a flight distance of 4467 km

Dubai - Dusseldrof, with a flight distance of 5003 km

Dubai - Hamburg, with a flight distance of 4888 km

Dubai - Geneva, with a flight distance of 4926 km, new routes are planned.

Dubai - Zurich, with a flight distance of 4765 km

Dubai - London, with a flight distance of 5494 km.

Dubai - Birmingham, with a flight distance of 5600 km

Dubai - Manchester, with a flight distance of 5651 km

Dubai - Glasgow, with a flight distance of 5848 km

Dubai - Sao Paulo, with a flight distance of 12,213 km

Dubai - New York, with a flight distance of 11 023 km

Dubai - Toronto, with a flight distance of 11,103 km.

Dubai - Houston, with a flight distance of 13,145 km

Dubai - Los Angeles, with a flight distance of 13,419 km

Dubai - San Francisco, with a flight distance of 13,040 km

Cities in Asia

Dubai - Jakarta, with a flight distance of 6542 km

Dubai - Singapore, with a flight distance of 5840 km, direct flight.

Dubai - Singapore, with flight distance of 5840 km, via Colombo.

Dubai - Male, with a flight distance of 3039 km, direct flight.

Dubai - Male, via Colombo

Dubai - Colombo, with a flight distance of 3285 km, direct flights

Dubai - Colombo, via Male

Dubai - Karachi, with a flight distance of 1186 km

Dubai - Kuala Lumpur, with a flight distance of 5584 km

Dubai - Bangkok, with a flight distance of 4876 km

Dubai - Manila, with a flight distance of 6900 km

Dubai - Delhi, with a flight distance of 2183 km

Dubai - Islamabad, with a flight distance of 1948 km

Dubai - Lahore, with a flight distance of 1983 km

Dubai - Mumbai, with a flight distance of 1925 km

Dubai - Ahmedabad, with a flight distance of 1770 km

Dubai - Peshawar, with a flight distance of 1833 km

Dubai - Bangalore, with a flight distance of 2706 km

Dubai - Kozhicode, with a flight distance of 2674 km

Dubai - Kochi, with a flight distance of 2785 km

Dubai - Chennai, with a flight distance of 2932 km

Dubai - Hyderabad, with a flight distance of 2539 km

Dubai - Kolkata, with a flight distance of 3372 km

Dubai - Dhaka, with a flight distance of 3534 km

Dubai - GuangZhou, with a flight distance of 5840 km

Dubai - Hong Kong, with a flight distance of 5916 km, direct flights

Dubai - Hong Kong, via Bangkok

Dubai - Shanghai, with a flight distance of 6458 km

Dubai - Beijing, with a flight distance of 5855 km

Dubai - Seoul, with a flight distance of 6735 km

Dubai - Japan, with a flight distance of 7994 km

Dubai - Osaka, with a flight distance of 7573 km

Cities in Australia

Dubai - Perth, with a flight distance of 9035 km

Dubai - Melbourne, with 11,637 km, direct flight.

Dubai - Melbourne, via Singapore

Dubai - Melbourne, via Kuala Lumpur

Dubai - Sydney, with a flight distance of 12,037 km, direct flight.

Dubai - Sydney, via Bangkok

Dubai - Brisbane, with a flight distance of 11,975 km, direct flight.

Dubai - Brisbane, via Singapore

Dubai - Auckland, with a flight distance of 14,192 km, there is no direct flight

Dubai - Auckland via Brisbane

Dubai - Auckland via Sydney

Dubai - Auckland via Melbourne

Dubai - Christchurch, with a flight distance of 14 050 km, there are no direct flights.

Dubai - Christchurch, via Bangkok and Sydney.

Emirates Airlines is set to boost its service to South America with the launch of a new service to Rio de Janeiro and extension to Buenos Aires.

Launching early next year, the iconic cities will now offer a faster link to Dubai and over 100 destinations worldwide.

Last year Emirates Airlines was recognised by the World Travel Awards Middle East’s Leading Airline Website.

His highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman Emirates Airline, said: “Both Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro are rightly renowned as world-class leisure destinations as well as important business and trading centres.

“Our research has shown that there is a high demand for these cities from across our network.”

The Dubai-Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires service will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering eight First Class Private Suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business and 304 seats in Economy.

“Brazil has been part of the Emirates network since 2007 when we began flights from Dubai to Sao Paulo,” added Sheikh Ahmed.

“With the country playing host to both the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Brazil will be further catapulted into the world’s spotlight, and we will be in a prime position to transport sports enthusiasts to these renowned events.

“Meanwhile, our first service to Argentina is a much-anticipated addition to our network which will open important new markets for us.”

Throughout all cabin classes, passengers can enjoy over 1,200 channels of entertainment on demand on “ice”, the airline’s award-winning in-flight entertainment system. 

Carlos Enrique Meyer, minister of tourism of Argentina, said: “Emirates’ plans to implement services from Dubai to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro will play an important role in increasing tourism, trade and investment between Argentina, Brazil and the UAE, in addition to the airline’s vast global network.”

The bellyhold capacity on the 777-300ER will support key imports and exports including automobile parts, accessories, manufactured goods, fruit and vegetables, machinery and pharmaceutical products from Rio.

For Buenos Aires, key imports and exports include perishables, textiles as well as pharmaceuticals.

Pedro Novaes, minister of tourism of Brazil, said: “Emirates’ current service to Sao Paulo has been extremely popular since it was first introduced.

“The addition of Rio de Janeiro will serve to further increase the cultural ties between our two nations.”

Passengers flying Emirates from Buenos Aires and Rio will also be able to connect to Emirates’ global network across the Far and Middle East, Indian sub-continent, Africa, and Australasia via its hub in Dubai. 

“The arrival of Emirates will be an important bridge between Rio de Janeiro and the East, generating many new trade and tourism opportunities,” said Sergio Cabral Filho, governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

“Rio has, today, one of the world’s most impressive international events calendars including, the 2011 World Military Games, the 2013 Cup of the Confederations, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

“This new service, from January 2012, will be an extraordinary gain for our state and our city,” he added.

Over the last few years, South America has experienced record-paced economic growth, even in the shadow of the global downturn of 2008.

Source: BTN

Emirates has extended its commitment to deploy AeroMobile's in-flight mobile connectivity solution on a further 84 aircraft.

The agreement covers the installation of eXPhone, Panasonic Avionics' branding of partner AeroMobile's hardware, on Emirates'Boeing 777-300ERs and 777-200LRs.

Emirates launched connectivity with AeroMobile in March 2008, and aims to fit its entire fleet with connectivity. It's original commitment with AeroMobile covered 98 aircraft, but "three were moved over to this latest commitment so, in effect, it's 95 plus 84", an AeroMobile spokesman explains to ATI and Flightglobal.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The eXPhone system allows Emirates passengers to use their mobile phones, smart phones and BlackBerry devices to make and receive voice calls and SMS text messages in-flight, along with data services such as emails.

An on-screen notification application - which alerts passengers that they are receiving a cell phone call through the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system - is still under development by AeroMobile and Panasonic.

However, because eXPhone is integrated with the Panasonic eX2 IFE system on board Emirates' aircraft, "this provides a platform that will be able to deliver this kind of application in the future", says the spokesman.

Separately, Emirates has a deal in place with AeroMobile rival OnAir to offer in-flight connectivity, including Wi-Fi, to its new Airbus A380 fleet.

Source: Flightglobal

Emirates has increased its fares across all sectors, as it's unable to absorb rising oil prices, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Emirates said the increase in fares differs by markets and routes, declining to give any more details on how much the fares were increased.

"We have an active fuel risk management programme but with such market volatility it is impossible to fully absorb the impact of soaring oil prices," an Emirates spokeswoman said in the statement.

Brent crude held steady near USD$112 a barrel on Tuesday as investors remained cautious about Middle East supplies even as Saudi Arabia ramped up production to cover a drop in Libyan exports.

Rising oil prices will hurt profitability of airlines operating in the Middle East/North Africa region, analysts say.

Source: Reuters

Travelers can now book hotel and car hire reservations on Emirates' website www.emirates.com/hotelsandcars. Thw fuunctionality is part of a milti-year technology partnership between Emirates and ezRez Software, Inc (www.ezrez.com) that was announced in octover 2010. In partnership with Tourico Holidays (www.touricoholidays.com). Emirates offers the convenience of booking hotels, car hires and airline tickets on one booking reference. 

Travellers can also use www.emirates.com/hotelsandcars to book hotel rooms and car hires (independently from an Emirates flight booking), or add hotels and car hires to their     existing itinerary, via the Booking Manager. 

Customers can choose from more than 23,000 hotels in approximately 3,200 cities in 130 countries.  Inventory for car hires is offered in 110 countries.  In keeping with Emirates’ global client base, bookings can be made in 14 languages, and paid for in 42 currencies. 

“Convenience is the key reason for our decision to provide land products -- in addition to airline tickets -- on our website.  Travellers now have a one-stop shop for booking all of their core travel needs,” said Russell Sheldon, Senior Vice President Network Passenger Sales Development, Emirates.

The entire itinerary, whether booked individually or in a shopping cart with Emirates flights, is available through the “Manage a Booking” tab on the airline’s homepage.  If no hotels or cars have been booked, the system will automatically offer personalised results, based on travel dates and destinations for the existing flight itinerary.  Furthermore, hotel and car bookings can be conveniently modified or cancelled online.

This same functionality will power Emirates’ popular Dubai Stopovers option, allowing travellers to choose their hotel online, rather than having to call a ticket office.  If booked together with an Emirates flight, the price for all hotels in Dubai includes meet & assist at the airport and hotel transfers.  This is a unique product proposition that is only offered through Emirates’ Dubai Stopover program. 

All technology and online functionality is provided by ezRez Software.  All products are pre-paid and customer service will be handled by Tourico Holidays.  Land products cannot be booked in Angola, Brazil, Ghana, Iran, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. 

Source: Emirates