Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, is extending the validity of its Companion Fare offer, in which passengers travelling from Malta receive a 50 per cent reduction on companion tickets in First and Business Class, provided that the two passengers travel together – on both the outward and return flight.

The special reduced Companion Fares were introduced in January and will be valid until 30 April 2005. They are available to a range of destinations in the Middle East, Australia and the Far East. These include Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Bombay, Chennai, Delhi, Mauritius, Maldives, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Manila and Bangkok.

“We have received an outstanding response for the Companion Fare offer during the past two months and therefore have decided to extend this special fare for the accompanying person by a further month,” said Emirates district manager Paul Fleri Soler.

“With this extension, both leisure and business travellers can still enjoy this opportunity of reduced fares and visit Dubai or one of Emirates long-haul destinations,” he added.

Passengers travelling with Emirates in First or Business Class can also benefit from the recently introduced chauffeur drive service by which passengers are offered complimentary transfers to and from the airport. Emirates is the first airline in Malta to introduce this service, which has been in operation since January.

First or Business Class travellers on Emirates’ aircraft can also relax with a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment system. Every seat has a personal video system which offers 15 video and 22 audio channels featuring the latest films, comedy, sports, current affairs, lifestyle and children’s programmes as well as a large selection of interactive games.

Passengers are also offered a personal selection of films and the seats also come equipped with a personal satellite telephone to keep in touch with family and friends.

Emirates operates three direct weekly flights from Dubai to Malta – on Tuesdays, Thursday, and Sundays on the wide-bodied aircraft A330-200. Flights from Malta to Dubai fly via Tripoli. The Malta route also gives a convenient connection to outgoing and incoming passengers from Australia and the Far East.