Emirates Airline has held a road show in Beijing to introduce its services to the travel and cargo trade, the media and government officials in preparation for the launch of its daily non-stop service to the city on 1 September.

The Emirates delegation, representing the various brands under the Emirates umbrella, was led by Senior Vice President Commercial Operations East Asia and Australasia Richard Vaughan.

Addressing a press conference in Beijing, Emirates formally announced the launch of its services and detailed the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) and Emirates’ dynamic relationship with China, as well as the airline’s growth and ambitious global plans.

Mr Vaughan said: “China’s eminence in today’s world economic order is well-established and recognised. The addition of Beijing, our second route to mainland China, is a clear illustration of our ongoing confidence in and commitment to the country. The new route will help foster greater business, tourism and cultural exchanges between Beijing and Dubai – both symbols of phenomenal growth and strategic vision.”

Beijing will be Emirates’ third destination in China – after Shanghai and Hong Kong – and the 18th in the Asia Pacific region. From Emirates’ hub in Dubai, passengers and cargo from China can quickly and conveniently connect to the airline’s 23 destinations in North America and Europe, 14 in Africa, and 13 in the Middle East.

Emirates will serve Beijing with an Airbus A340-300 offering 267 seats in a three-class configuration – 12 seats in First Class, 42 in Business and 213 in Economy – and 13 tons of cargo capacity.

In 2006, Emirates has launched services to Malawi, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Thiruvananthapuram, Hamburg, Kolkata, and Nagoya, and in addition to Beijing, is also set to start services to Tunis and Bangalore.

Emirates flies from Malta to Dubai four times weekly via Larnaca, Cyprus on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on A330-200.