Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, will be flying from Malta to Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus, four times a week as from 1 October. Air Malta will be code-sharing on these flights between Malta and Larnaca.
Passengers from Malta will now have the choice of travelling to Dubai and Cyprus at 3.40pm on either Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Sunday. This service also offers Emirates passengers the added option of flying between Malta and Larnaca.
Emirates district manager Paul Fleri Soler said: “Customer demand for our services to Dubai has been steadily building and we are pleased to offer this service. We are confident that the additional capacity, and the new route via Larnaca, will offer a convenient option for both busy business travellers and holiday-makers.
“This move opens up new connections between Malta and Larnaca, as well as between Larnaca and Dubai. Malta and Cyprus are becoming key commercial and tourism hubs in the Mediterranean – and both are new EU countries. The new schedule will give passengers more flexibility in planning their journeys. It will encourage the Maltese to discover Cyprus and, hopefully, serve to attract more Cypriot tourists to Malta.”
Emirates’ services to Malta were launched in March 1998 with twice-weekly flights on an Airbus 300-600. In October 1998, the airline increased its operations with a third flight via Athens, which was later replaced by Tripoli. During the past seven years, the airline has succeeded in increasing capacity in passenger traffic as well as cargo freight.
Emirates will operate an Airbus 330-200 on the route, offering 12 seats in First, 42 seats in Business, and 183 in Economy class, plus up to 17 tonnes of belly-hold space for cargo.
Flight EK107 will depart from Dubai on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8.35am and arrive in Larnaca at 11.15am, before flying onward to Malta at 12.15pm and landing at Malta International Airport at 2.10pm. Return flight EK108 departs from Malta at 3.40pm, arrives in Larnaca at 7.15pm and departs Larnaca at 8.15pm. It arrives in Dubai at 00.30am the next day.