Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, hosted a party at the InterContinental Hotel to celebrate its new route from Dubai to Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus – and an increase in frequencies to four flights weekly. The event was attended by more than 300 travel and cargo agents in Malta.
Emirates senior vice-president commercial operations Europe Keith Longstaff, and a group of top journalists and travel agents from Cyprus, were onboard the inaugural flight on 2 October. They flew to Malta to celebrate the start of the new route between Malta and Cyprus and to get a first-hand experience of the Maltese islands.
Mr Longstaff said: “The new route from Malta to Larnaca and onward to Dubai gives Maltese and Cypriot travellers and cargo shippers better and more frequent access to Dubai, one of the world’s fastest-growing centres for tourism and commerce, and a major connecting hub for many cities throughout the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and Asia-Pacific. The new service also offers Emirates passengers the option of flying between Malta and Cyprus.”
Passengers from Malta now have the choice of travelling to Dubai and Cyprus at 3.40pm on Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Sunday. Air Malta has signed a codeshare agreement with Emirates on flights between Malta and Larnaca.
Emirates manager for Malta and Cyprus Paul Fleri Soler said: “Malta and Cyprus, which are both new EU countries and key commercial and tourism hubs in the Mediterranean, will benefit from increased inbound tourism. The new schedule gives 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.”
Flight EK107 will depart from Dubai on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 8.35am and arrives 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 00.30 am the next day.
A selected group of Maltese journalists have used the service to travel to Larnaca for a familiarisation tour of Cyprus. They were hosted by Emirates Airline.
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 substituted by Tripoli. Over the last seven years, the airline has succeeded in increasing capacity in passenger traffic as well as cargo freight.
As from this month, Emirates is offering a total of 948 seats and 56 tonnes per week to Cyprus and/or Dubai. This represents a respective increase of 133 per cent in passenger and cargo-carrying capacity.