As from 1 September 2006, Maltese travelers can now travel to Asia Pacific on an Emirates flight with more frequency from Malta. Furthermore, Emirates has announced that it is strengthening its Asia Pacific route network to consolidate its presence in the region, with increased frequency to Perth, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, and the launch of daily services to Beijing.
The airline's service to Perth will become a double daily from the current 11 weekly flights, sending a strong signal of commitment to its Australian stakeholders and sealing Emirates' presence in the country for the long-haul. The second daily will be served with the Boeing 777-200 aircraft, offering a total of 290 seats - 12 in First Class, 42 in Business and 236 in Economy - and 18 tons of cargo.
Emirates has designed its timetable for quick and convenient connections between Perth and the Middle East, as well as Europe - enabling same day travel to several destinations. The airline will serve Australia with a total of 49 weekly flights to four gateways - Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
In December 2006, Emirates will also increase its capacity to the city, upgrading its other daily from an Airbus A340-300 offering 267 seats to a Boeing 777-300ER with 364 seats, an increase of 36 per cent.
The sustained and explosive growth of China has increased the country's appetite for travel as well as trade, and Emirates will satisfy this customer demand with three additional flights between Dubai and Hong Kong.
Flight EK380 will become the second daily to this fascinating city, which will now be served with a total of 17 weekly flights. EK380 is operated by an Airbus A330-200 in a two class configuration offering 27 seats in Business and 251 in Economy and 14 tonnes of cargo capacity.
With a daily service and six dedicated freighter operations to Shanghai, a daily service to Beijing, and 10 Boeing freighter services to Hong Kong in addition to passenger services, the airline has clearly highlighted the importance of China on its route network.
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, will be served nine times a week, with the additional flight operating every Friday with an Airbus A330-200 in a two class configuration.
Richard Vaughan, Emirates' Senior Vice President East Asia and Australasia said: “Emirates' business strategy in the Asia Pacific is one of planned and steady growth, backed by strong commercial principles. The region is growing incredibly fast, undoubtedly led by the phenomenal growth in China, established tourism trails to Australia and buoyed by the economic prospects in the entire region.
He added: “By the end of this year, we also intend to upgrade our services and increase capacity to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur.”
Emirates launched services to Singapore, its first destination in the Far East, way back in 1990. From 1st September the airline will serve the Asia Pacific region with 129 flights every week.