As Dubai based Emirates continues to get deliveries of new aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing, it is undertaking significant route expansion, especially to Europe.
The airline has announced the launch of flights to Amsterdam from May 1, 2010. EK 145 departs Dubai each day at 08:25 arriving Amsterdam at 13:30. EK 146 departs Amsterdam at 15:30 arriving in Dubai at 23:59.
The daily, non-stop service from Dubai which will be the airline’s 23rd service to Europe, will be operated with a combination of Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, boasting a three-class configuration and the newest version of ice, the highly regarded in-flight entertainment system.
Amsterdam is the fourth new destination to be announced by the Dubai based carrier this year. Durban and Luanda were both launched in October and Tokyo was recently announced with a start date of 28th March 2010. The new service comes on the back of exclusive lounge openings in Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Manchester and extra frequencies to Rome, building up to a double daily in February 2010.
During December, Emirates will take delivery of two more Airbus A380 superjumbos, which will be deployed to Seoul from December 14th, and to Paris two weeks later.
Amsterdam is a major centre for the flower industry and Emirates has served The Netherlands as a freighter destination for fifteen years, currently operating six a week Boeing 747-400 freighter flights between Dubai and Amsterdam. For sure the airline will bolster its Skycargo capacity using the belly hold capacity of the passenger flights.
Last month, the carrier announced half year net profits of Dhs 752 million (US$205 million), representing a 165 percent increase compared to Dhs 284 million (US$77 million) for the period ending 30th September 2008. During the latest results period, the airline carried over 13 million passengers and in excess of 700,000 tonnes of cargo.
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