Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, has marked the launch of its daily non-stop service to the city of Beijing, as well as the increase in frequency from four to five weekly flights from Malta to Dubai via Larnaca, Cyprus.
Emirates hosted a reception at the Garden of Serenity, the typical Chinese garden in Santa Lucija. The event was attended by Emirates officials, ministers and members of parliament, HE the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, guests from the Chinese embassy and the China Cultural Centre, the media in Malta and in Cyprus and more than 300 travel and cargo agents in Malta.
Emirates manager for Malta and Cyprus Paul Fleri Soler made a brief introduction and spoke about Emirates’ growth in Malta. He said: “Emirates continues to expand its presence in Malta with an additional fifth weekly flight. This additional frequency, which will operate every Saturday, will increase travel opportunities for travellers from Malta and Cyprus, while giving more passengers access to the Emirates network.”
Emirates senior vice president Commercial Operations Europe Keith Longstaff referred to the “island hopping” service between Malta and Cyprus. He said: “This service has been a great success for Emirates, as well as for Malta and Cyprus. Both business and leisure travellers have much greater access to these beautiful islands, as well as to Dubai and Emirates’ worldwide route network.
“Another milestone is the launch of our new services from Dubai to Beijing. This new service should be of particular interest here in Malta, as the island has been awarded Approved Destination Status by the Chinese government, which means that Chinese business and leisure travellers can visit Malta, which is sure to bring a boost to the Maltese economy.”
Passengers from Malta currently have the choice of travelling to Cyprus and Dubai at 3:40pm on Monday, Wednes-day, Friday and Sunday, and now also on Saturday, on the 237-seat Airbus 330-200, configured in three classes.
The new flight will also increase cargo capacity to Malta, giving customers of Emirates SkyCargo greater flexibility in their operations.
Apart from unveiling Beijing on its route map, Emirates has also strengthened its network in the Asia-Pacific region with the addition of three flights per week to its first destination in China – Hong Kong, one additional flight to Kuala Lumpur to serve the Malaysian capital nine times a week, plus three more flights to Australia to bring Emirates’ Perth service to twice-daily. The additional frequency will give travellers from Malta and other European cities, even more choice of flight timings and connections.
Emirates operates services to more than 80 cities in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Asia-Pacific region. The airline flies daily between Dubai and Beijing, apart from its current daily flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong.
During the reception, Emirates presented seven of their Travel Awards to top travel agents in Malta for their significant sales performance. The Emirates Travel Awards were presented by Mr Longstaff to Mr Charles Vella from Directions Travel, Mr Aaron Stivala from Planit Travel, Mr Kenneth Demartino from KD Travel Services, Mr Paul Portelli from John Portelli Enterprises, Mr Michael Gatt from Howards Travel, Mr Edward Papps from EC Travel Services and Mr Paul Pizzuto from S.Mifsud & Sons.
Mr Fleri Soler congratulated the award winners and extended Emirates appreciation to all Maltese travel and cargo agents.