Three major Middle Eastern airlines have started flights to Birmingham Airport

Three major Middle Eastern airlines have started flights to Birmingham Airport this month in what its chief executive called “a glimpse into our future.” The trio of airlines have vastly expanded the range of destinations now available from the airport, either directly or with one stop.

Saturday July1 - Emirates brought back its iconic 615-seater A380 ‘superjumbo,’ adding capacity on its popular twice-daily Dubai service.

Sunday July 2 – Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudia Arabia, began flying thrice-weekly to and from Jeddah, its vibrant second city and commercial centre.

Thursday July 6 - Qatar Airways returned to BHX, following a three-year absence, with daily services to Doha.

 

Nick Barton, chief executive of Birmingham Airport, said: “This is a glimpse into our future ... World-class airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates and Saudia serving the global gateway of the West Midlands as we eagerly await the arrival of the new HS2 railway, which will make BHX the journey time equivalent of London’s zone 5. 

“The West Midlands region is home to six million people contributing to an economy the size of Hungary's and currently boasting Britain’s strongest foreign direct investment and job creation performance outside London and the Southeast. 

“Customers travelling for business, leisure, family, and religious purposes will benefit from our best-ever direct Middle Eastern connectivity. While for some, Doha, Jeddah, or Dubai will be the destination, others will head on to one of the many cities offered on each of these airlines’ onward networks, including Australasia, Africa, Asia and North and South America.” 

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “We all know how important global connections are to the West Midlands economy, and so I am delighted that Qatar Airways have returned to Birmingham Airport. The daily direct flights to Doha being offered by Qatar Airways comes on top of the return of Emirates’ iconic A380 for their daily flights to Dubai, and Saudi’s new thrice-weekly Jeddah service. These new services and investment are not only a big economic boost to the region as our global ties grow, but they’re also a significant vote of confidence in the future of the West Midlands from three of the world’s biggest airlines.” 

Emirates A380 makes emergency landing at London Gatwick following gear issue.

An Emirates Airbus A380 had to make an emergency landing at London Gatwick Airport on Tuesday evening following a fault with its landing gear. 

The aircraft, registration A6-EUN developed a fault whilst operating a flight from Dubai to Gatwick and the crew requested support from emergency services.  According to early reports, a hydraulic leak affected the front landing gear which prompted the crew to conduct an emergency landing. 

The aircraft appears to have come to a halt on the runway but looked slightly uneven and was unable to turn off the runway and needed the support of an airport tug to tow it off the main runway and to a parking stand.

According to a spokesperson at the airport the runway was closed for a short time following the emergency landing and "our team worked to get the plane off the runway as quickly as possible".  A number of other flights were delayed by up to forty-five minutes, however, normal operations have now resumed. 

Emirates to start flights to Montreal in July

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

The Dubai-based mega-carrier Emirates has confirmed it plans to launch a new daily service from Dubai to Montréal, starting 5 July. Montréal becomes Emirates’ second gateway in Canada, complementing its passenger services to Toronto, which have been operating to Ontario’s capital city since 2007.

From 5 July, daily flights to Montréal on widebody Boeing 777-300ER to complement daily A380 services to Toronto

The launch of services to Montréal comes as the UAE and Canada aim to deepen economic cooperation between the two nations and stimulate benefits to the aviation and tourism sectors, in addition to enhancing trade flows and commercial links. The daily flights to the new destination will help cater to the huge demand for direct flights between Dubai and Canada, particularly to its two largest metropolitan hubs, and provide more choice for travellers when flying to Canada.

Passengers from Montréal can enjoy the airline’s award-winning services to and through Dubai, and connect safely, seamlessly and efficiently to Emirates’ global network of over 130 destinations in over 70 countries and territories. The daily flights between Dubai and Montréal will operate as EK243/244 with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, offering a premium travel experience across its cabins. Passengers can enjoy Emirates’ award-winning travel experience aboard its wide-body aircraft with 8 First Class suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 304 seats in Economy Class. 

Tickets to Montréal go on sale today for flights starting 5 July and can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via travel agents.

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Photo by Jamshed Khedri on Unsplash

Emirates resumes its Tokyo-Haneda service.

Emirates has now restored its full Japanese network with the resumption of its passenger services to Tokyo-Haneda on 2 April 2023, further building on the airline’s continued expansion in the Southeast Asia region.

Operated by one of Emirates’ latest Boeing 777 aircraft, flight EK312 departed from Dubai on 2 April at 7:50hrs, and arrived in Haneda at 22:35hrs. The return flight EK313 departed from Haneda on 3 April at 00:05hrs and arrived in Dubai at 06:20hrs. All times are local time.

Satish Sethi, Emirates’ Country Manager in Japan, said: “We’re very excited for the continued development of our Japanese network and are especially thankful to the local authorities and our partners for their support and for working with us on providing seamless global connectivity for Japanese travellers.  We’ve been present in the market for more than 20 years and are thoroughly pleased to finally return to Tokyo-Haneda, as we look forward to supporting the increasing demand for international travel. The night flight from Haneda offers valuable connectivity for travellers to access Emirates’ points beyond Dubai, in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East regions.”

In addition to Tokyo-Haneda, Emirates also operates daily services to Tokyo-Narita and Osaka. From these points, the airline offers passengers access to 24 additional domestic cities in Japan through its codeshare partnership with Japan Airlines. Japanese travellers can also benefit seamless access to more than 130 destinations across 6 continents via Dubai, including popular destinations such as Italy, Spain, US, France and UK.

Easter treats on Emirates

Emirates is celebrating Easter with various treats this April with traditional lamb dishes in the lounges, baskets of warm hot cross buns served onboard, sweet surprises for kids, and an array of new family-friendly movies on ice.

From 7-10 April, Emirates passengers flying in every travel class to select routes including Australia, USA, Canada, Europe, UK, Brazil, Philippines, South Africa, Mauritius, and Ghana, will enjoy a sumptuous selection of Easter treats onboard. Economy Class passengers will be offered a warm hot cross bun with their meal, or a delicious Easter dessert of carrot cake with an indulgent tres leches sauce, while passengers in First, Business, and Premium Economy class will be served a chocolate cake garnished with creamy ganache and redcurrants, or a strawberry cheesecake dotted with an elegant mini-Easter egg. In the A380 Onboard Lounge, passengers can further treat themselves to traditional Easter simnel fruitcake with marzipan. For Orthodox Easter from 14-17 April, more goodies like the beloved Easter cake Kulich bread will be served on routes to Russia and Greece. Kids in all classes will receive a brightly coloured ‘Happy Easter’ biscuit shaped like an Easter egg.

Across Emirates’ global network of prestigious lounges, passengers will enjoy classic Easter fare in most locations such as lamb chops with roasted potatoes and carrots in orange jus in the First-Class Lounges of Dubai, or roasted lamb leg with dates, green olives and pomegranate in the US, pistachio-crusted lamb cutlets, with red bell peppers, olive oil coulis and spring market vegetables in Singapore, or a classic herb crusted lamb with chargrilled leeks, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes and a tangy mint sauce in the UK.

Emirates passengers flying over Easter can access a world class entertainment library on ice with more than 5,000 channels of on demand entertainment, over 1,900 movies and 1,500 hours of TV, as well as music, podcasts, and audiobooks across 40 languages. Families will enjoy the best movies and television from Cartoon Network, CBeebies and Nickelodeon channels, with new kids movies onboard for April including Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, The Tiger Rising, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Tad the Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet. There is also a dedicated ‘Wizarding World’ folder that includes 16 Harry Potter titles for a Harry Potter movie marathon, and popular TV shows such as The Amazing World of Gumball, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lego Jurassic World: Legends of Isla Nublar, SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Trek: Prodigy, The Adventures of Puss in Boots.

Emirates orders 10 cruise ships for its Sealine maritime arm.

Emirates, widely considered the QE2 among airlines and beloved by millions worldwide for its sumptuous services in the air and on land, will now be sailing across the seven seas with its newly-launched maritime arm, Emirates Sealine.

Lucky ship-spotters and cruise aficionados witnessed glimpses of the first liner as it majestically sailed around Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah earlier this week on its maiden sea trial 

Emirates Sealine is promising cruisers top-tier and never-before-imagined experiences as they voyage to rarely-before-seen ports of call. It placed a titanic, multi-billion-dollar order for an initial 10 cruise ships which are currently being fitted with the latest and the best.

Having identified significant gaps in the industry’s offering, Emirates Sealine will give a wide berth to convention, offering a cruise calendar outside traditional seasons. The first cruise is scheduled to flag off from Dubai Harbour on 01 April 2024, with Karachi as the maiden port of call – harking back to the airline’s first-ever flight in October 1985.

Itineraries and bookings will be open from 31 June. Emirates Sealine’s liners will dock at major cruise ports – charting a course from US to New Zealand – supported by the airline’s colossal network.

Captain Jack Shallow, the newly appointed Chief Maritime Officer at the helm of Emirates Sealine said: “Emirates is no stranger to the seas, having been associated with powerboat racing in Dubai to Emirates Team New Zealand and more recently, the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. While cities worldwide remain moored to challenges, Dubai is sailing smoothly at unimaginable knots and has outstanding cruise and other multi-modal transport infrastructure.

Emirates expands flight training academy’s aircraft fleet

Emirates Flight Training Academy (EFTA) continues to live up to its promise of offering cutting-edge tech and state-of-the-art aircraft to train pilots of the future and help close the industry’s skills gap. The Academy is now bolstering its current fleet with an order for three twin-engine DA42-VI and its corresponding flight simulator from Diamond Aircraft Industries – a leading manufacturer of aircraft in general aviation, based in Austria. The total deal is worth EUR 4 million in list prices.

The AUSTRO jet-fuel-powered DA42-VI aircraft is slated to be the flagship that ushers in multi-engine piston (MEP) training at EFTA.

Capt Abdulla Al Hammadi, Vice President Emirates Flight Training Academy, said: “Our new fleet from Diamond Aircraft is part of our larger strategic intent for our cadet programme. It helps us design a bridging MEP programme for cadets to gain more flying experience while progressing from a single engine to a light jet aircraft. It strengthens our offering and makes it more unique, rounded and robust. Our cadets will benefit hugely as they gain experience on three different types of aircraft, even before they’re licensed. The new fleet also helps us go above and beyond on complying with the new GCAA guidelines. The DA42-VI is reliable, eco-friendly and a practical platform for MEP training. We’re confident we’ve made the right choice.”

“We are thrilled that our DA42-VI is the choice for Emirates’ flight training. This, once again, solidifies the aircraft’s position as the industry-leading multi-engine piston trainer,” said Liqun (Frank) Zhang, CEO Diamond Aircraft Austria. “With Emirates we are adding another premier flight academy to our long list of renowned training operators and are looking forward to support them with the most advanced and eco-friendly aircraft available on the market today.”

Emirates launch new range of collectible toys and bags for younger flyers

The Dubai-based mega-carrier, Emirates is launching a new phase of children's amenities that consider the varying needs and preferences of babies and infants, younger kids, and older children up to 12 years.

The new amenity kits feature global exploration and diversity themes and are available as separate kits for 0-2 years, 3-6 years and 7-12 years. Each kit is certified for safety by Intertek, in accordance with toy safety standards, with new designs to be launched every year.   

All the essentials for the tiniest travellers

Emirates baby and infant kits contain all the essential items a parent needs onboard for comfort and hygiene- a reusable changing mat, diaper cream and cleansing wipes, a keepsake wipe-clean bib, a soothing vibrating plush toy that can be attached to a seatback or a stroller, and collectable ‘blanket buddies’, where an Emirates character soft toy representing a pilot or cabin crew is offered alongside a soft blanket to ensure a sweet night’s sleep.

The high-quality and sustainable kit is designed to be reusable, and the colourful bags feature hand-drawn artwork to represent the people, places, and cultures that Emirates airline serves in its global route network of 140 destinations. Quickly becoming collectors’ items among Emirates global fanbase, the unique design features emblems of the iconic city of Dubai, daytime and night-time scenes, the flagship Emirates A380 aircraft, friendly members of the Emirates cabin crew and pilots holding hands with people from all cultures of the world - showcasing diversity through national dress and a range of ethnicities. 

Engaging the little explorers from 3-6 years

Emirates amenity kits for children aged 3-6 years are designed to build memories for the youngest travellers and create excitement about travelling the world. Children in this age group are given a trendy belt bag, larger backpack, or generous duffle bag, designed to be fit for use for multiple events – from travelling to sports or simply transporting toys. Kids even get special headphones for ice inflight entertainment, a soft and comfortable fit on smaller ears. The amenity kit also contains the perfect distractions for an active young child including an engaging ‘Fly with Me’ activity pack with its own pack of non-toxic colouring pencils, featuring kid-friendly world maps, puzzles, drawing tutorials, colouring pages, educational activities about Dubai and protecting the environment.

The kits are manufactured from high-quality responsibly sourced materials, including plastic bottles – up to 4 bottles per bag.

Keeping it cool for 7–12-year-olds

Emirates shows of new livery.

Third iteration of its main brand identity as the UAE’s international airline since 1985

The distinctive livery of the world’s largest international airline, Emirates, has undergone a refresh.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “Aircraft livery is the most instantly recognisable brand real estate for any airline. It’s a visual representation of our unique identity, something we wear proudly, and display in all the cities we fly to around the world. We’re refreshing our livery to keep it modern, without losing the key elements of our identity such as the UAE flag on our tailfin and the Arabic calligraphy.”

Eagle-eyed plane spotters and fans will immediately notice changes to the tailfin and wingtips.  In this latest design, the UAE flag on the Emirates tailfin is much more dynamic and flowing with a 3D effect artwork, and the wingtips have been painted red with the Emirates logo in Arabic calligraphy “popping” out in reverse white. Passengers onboard with a window view will see the UAE flag colours painted on the wingtips facing the fuselage.

The signature gold “Emirates” lettering across the main body in English and Arabic is also bolder, and 32.5% larger. On the aircraft belly, Emirates has retained its iconic red branding which it introduced in 2005.  The website URL “Emirates.com” has been dropped from the design.

This is the 3rd iteration of Emirates’ official aircraft brand colours. The original livery unveiled with the airline’s launch in 1985 had its first refresh 14 years later, with the delivery of Emirates’ first Boeing 777-300 at the 1999 Dubai Airshow.

The first aircraft to sport Emirates’ newest livery is A6-EOE, an Airbus A380, which has rolled out of Emirates Engineering this week after its makeover. Its first deployment will be to Munich on 17 March as flight EK51.

The new livery will be gradually applied across the rest of the existing Emirates fleet with 24 aircraft, including 17 Boeing 777s, expected to sport the refreshed livery by the end of 2023.  All new Emirates aircraft, from the first Airbus A350 entering the fleet in August 2024 will be delivered in this new livery.

Emirates’ original livery in 1985 was designed by UK design company Negus & Negus. All of the airline’s subsequent aircraft colours were created by its inhouse design team. Over the years, Emirates’ numerous colourful and eye-catching aircraft livery have included bespoke designs to drive sponsorship brand association, and for special occasions such as the UAE’s 50th Jubilee livery, and Expo 2020 Dubai.

Emirates to add second daily flight to London Stansted.

Emirates is rapidly ramping up seat capacity in its latest published northern summer schedule starting 26 March 2023, which will see the carrier add a second daily flight to London Stansted. This will take Emirates’ London operations to 11 daily flights – including 6 times daily to London Heathrow and 3 times daily to Gatwick.

In the past months, the airline has planned and executed the rapid growth of its network operations - reintroducing services to 5 cities; launching flights to 1 new destination (Tel Aviv), adding 251 weekly flights onto existing routes; and continuing the roll-out of service enhancements in the air and on the ground.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “Emirates continues to expand its global network and deploy its capacity to meet travel demand across the world. Our financial year started relatively quietly as we held back our ramp up until the planned northern runway rehabilitation program at Dubai International airport was completed in June. From July 2022 onwards, it’s been non-stop expansion.”

He added: “Customer demand has been very strong, and our forward bookings are also robust. Emirates is working hard on several fronts - to bring back operating capacity as quickly as the ecosystem can manage, while also upgrading our fleet and product to ensure our customers always enjoy the best possible Emirates experience. So far, 4 of our A380 aircraft have been completely refurbished with our new cabin interiors and Premium Economy seats, and more will enter service as our US$2 billion cabin and service enhancement program picks up pace.”

In the coming months, established routes to Europe, Australia and Africa will be served with more Emirates flights, while in East Asia, more cities are seeing route restarts.

Emirates and Philippine Airlines announce interline partnership

                                  Emirates and Philippine Airlines (PAL) have signed an interline agreement to boost connectivity for passengers of both air carriers to new points on each other’s networks via Manila and Dubai, using a single ticket and one baggage policy.

Now in effect, the reciprocal interline partnership provides Emirates’ passengers access to 19 Philippine domestic destinations operated by Philippine Airlines, including Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Cotabato, Davao, Iloilo, Kalibo and more, as well as two Asian regional points via Manila. Philippine Airlines’ passengers also benefit from access to Emirates’ global network and seamlessly connect to 21 cities operated by Emirates beyond Dubai to European destinations such as London, Rome, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Paris and Kuwait, as well as to Jeddah and other points in the Middle East, Africa and India. 

Travel itineraries can be booked on emirates.com, philippineairlines.com, the Emirates and PAL mobile apps, or via both online and offline travel agents.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer commented: “The Philippines is one of our strongest consumer markets and we’re pleased to sign a new interline agreement with the country’s flag carrier. The partnership with Philippine Airlines will help open new links for trade and tourism that will drive more inbound traffic into the market, and expand Emirates’ footprint in East Asia. We look forward to serving our partner airline’s customers with additional travel choices to Emirates destinations across the Middle East, Europe as well as the Americas, and to expanding our cooperation with plans to include additional points via Cebu in the coming months.”

Major new Emirates sponsorship deal for Great Britain SailGP Team

Emirates, one of the most popular mega-carriers and the Great Britain SailGP Team have signed a new three-year sponsorship deal. Under the agreement, Emirates will become the sailing team’s first-ever Title Sponsor with the airline's signature “Fly Better” logo will be visible on the Great British F50 race boat, with prominent branding on the centre of the wing and hull. The airline’s iconic logo will also appear on the front and back of the team’s clothing, sailing apparel and equipment.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said: “We’re delighted to announce our new partnership with one of the world’s most successful sailing teams. Emirates and the Great Britain SailGP Team share common values, ambitions, and drive – making this partnership a natural fit. Together, we’ll take the sport to new levels, bring fans closer to the action, and deliver world-class experiences to customers worldwide.

We also look forward to working closely with our partners on joint sustainability initiatives that will truly make an impact - on and off the water."

Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team CEO & Driver, Sir Ben Ainslie, said: “Myself and the rest of the Great Britain team are thrilled to have Emirates, one of the most iconic sporting brands in the world, on board this journey with us.

Sport has the ability to inspire like nothing else. At a time where the SailGP league is seeing unprecedented growth in the form of new race locations, teams, owners, and Season 4’s calendar revealing strong continuation of this trend, together as partners we will be able to take both the team and the sport to new heights. 

This is a pinnacle partnership, one that brings both commercial value as well as supports our sustainability ambitions to support three million young people to take climate action.”

Sponsorship rights and benefits

Under the sponsorship deal, the airline will enjoy a wide-range of benefits including: marketing, digital and social media rights; VIP hospitality tickets; meet and greet access to the athletes, including Sir Ben Ainslie and Hannah Mills, OBE, the world’s most decorated male and female Olympic sailors; and exclusive opportunities such as “sixth sailor experience” for Emirates fans to experience the action first-hand on the water.

Sailing into a sustainable future

In line with the UAE declaring 2023 as the “Year of Sustainability” – the new sponsorship will also open more opportunities for Emirates and the Great Britain SailGP Team to drive joint global environmental campaigns with the common goals of reducing emissions, consuming responsibly, and preserving biodiversity.

Emirates recently completed its first milestone demonstration flight using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in one of its GE90 engines on a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline also supports IATA’s collective industry commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and is exploring opportunities to enhance operational fuel efficiency, SAF, low carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) and renewable energy.

Emirates expands capacity to Cairo

Dubai-based mega-carrier, Emirates has confirmed it is boosting its operations to and from Cairo to 28 weekly flights, effective 29 October 2023. The additional flights provide more options for customers to connect to Dubai and beyond with enhanced schedules and the opportunity to enjoy more of the Emirates A380’s signature experience.

The operational boost will see Emirates operating four daily flights, thrice daily on the A380 and a daily service on the Boeing 777. Cairo has the highest deployment of Emirates A380 services in the MENA region, outside of Dubai. The additional services and upgrade of seat capacity  on the Dubai-Cairo route will help meet high demand to and from Cairo and support the country’s tourism revival with the addition of more than 2,200 weekly seats in each direction.

EK921 will now operate daily, departing at 1200hrs from Dubai to arrive at Cairo International Airport at 1415hrs. The return service EK922 will depart from Cairo at 1615hrs, to arrive at 2145hrs in Dubai.

Emirates’ third A380 service to Cairo, EK925 will depart Dubai at 20:40hrs landing at 22:55hrs. EK926 will then depart Cairo, the following day at 00:40 hrs, to arrive in Dubai at 06:10hrs.

The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins, and signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky like the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites and Shower Spa. The airline currently deploys its flagship A380 to 41 destinations worldwide.

Emirates will soon build an advanced training facility to accommodate 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS).....

Emirates will soon build an advanced training facility to accommodate 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS) for its future Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft. The brand new, 63,318 sq. ft. facility is slated to open in March 2024.

Emirates invests US$ 135 million in new pilot training centre

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This US$ 135 million investment to build a new pilot training centre will ensure Emirates' readiness to commence its pilot training ahead of the delivery of its new aircraft fleet starting from 2024. The building will be equipped with the latest, technologically advanced simulators to provide the best training for pilots, while using solar power to reduce energy consumption.”

The new building will be adjacent to the existing Emirates Training Facilities in Dubai, which will provide a great integration and close proximity to all the other pilot training centres. 

Pilot trainees will also benefit from being able to set-up and configure the cockpit environment using bespoke devices as part of the pilot training module and upload the data to the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) prior to commencing their training session. This innovative, first-of-its-kind concept is designed to shorten the trainee’s preparatory time inside the simulator, help them maintain focus and take full advantage of the training duration.

With the addition of the new building to Emirates’ existing training colleges in Dubai, the airline will have the potential to expand its pilot training capacity by 54% per year. Across the airline’s training buildings, Emirates' pilots will have increased flexibility and facilities to hone their flying skills with 17 full flight simulator bays offering a capacity of more than 130,000 training hours a year.

In line with the scheduled delivery of Emirates’ first Airbus A350 aircraft, the airline’s newest training college will commence training its first batch of A350 pilots by June 2024.

Emirates celebrates 10 years in Poland.

           Emirates, the world's largest international airline, celebrates the tenth anniversary of its first commercial flight operation in Poland. Since the inaugural flight in February 2013, the airline has carried more than 1.6 million passengers on the service across more than 6,300 flights from Dubai to Warsaw in both directions. The carrier offers Polish passengers a daily direct flight operated by a Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft.

This year we are celebrating Emirates’ anniversary in Poland, which is an exceptional opportunity to summarize the past decade as we look ahead to 2023 with greater optimism. We are delighted that we have been operating flights on the Dubai-Warsaw route for the past ten years. Poland consistently remains a very important market for us, and we particularly value cooperation with partners that contribute to exceptional service for our clients and support the domestic development of trade and tourism. The past decade is motivation for us to continue on the path of providing the best quality services and maintaining the highest standards – said Maciej Pyrka, Country Manager of Emirates in Poland.

Over the years, Emirates flights to Warsaw have created new opportunities for business, trade and tourism and strengthened the ties between the United Arab Emirates and Poland. The Emirates Group employs more than 600 Poles, including cabin crew, pilots and employees in other business areas across the Group. Emirates offers candidates exceptional career opportunities, the chance to gain world-class expertise at the airline's state-of-the-art training center in Dubai, including an excellent training facility and a wide range of development programs.

Emirates launches humanitarian airbridge to help in Turkey and Syria earthquakes relief efforts

In the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Emirates is setting up an airbridge with the International Humanitarian City (IHC), to transport urgent relief supplies, medical items and equipment to support on-ground aid efforts and search and rescue activities in both countries. The first shipments are due to go out today on EK 121 and EK 117, consisting of high thermal blankets and family tents from UNHCR, followed by World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP) relief cargo of medical kits and shelter items, coordinated by the IHC in Dubai. 

In the coming days, more consignments of blankets, tents, shelter kits, flashlights, water distribution ramps and trauma and emergency health kits will be transported on Emirates.

Emirates SkyCargo plans to dedicate cargo space for around 100 tonnes of humanitarian relief goods over the course of the next two weeks across its daily flight operations to Istanbul. The critical emergency supplies carried on Emirates will then be delivered by local organisations to affected areas in southern Turkey and northern Syria, supporting on-ground responders and providing much-needed aid to the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by the earthquakes. 

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ Chairman and Chief Executive, said: “We stand with the Turkish and Syrian people and are working with experts like the International Humanitarian City to help provide urgent relief to those affected and displaced by the earthquakes, as well as support the complex recovery efforts on the ground. Emirates has extensive experience in supporting humanitarian relief efforts, and through its three daily flights to Istanbul will offer regular and consistent widebody capacity for relief items and medical supplies. Emirates also supports the UAE’s ongoing humanitarian efforts to support Turkey and Syria, and Dubai’s unique position as the world’s largest international aid logistics hub means that we can efficiently reach disaster-stricken areas and the most vulnerable people as quickly as possible.”

Air Canada Cargo and Emirates SkyCargo sign deal to enhance networks and reach

Air Canada Cargo and Emirates SkyCargo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deliver more benefits to their air freight customers around the world.

The MoU, which builds on the airlines’ strategic commercial partnership announced last year, was signed at Emirates Headquarters in Dubai, UAE by Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo and Matthieu Casey, Managing Director Commercial, Air Canada Cargo. Emirates SkyCargo is the airfreight division of Emirates. Through its state-of-the-art hub in Dubai, Emirates SkyCargo transports cargo to over 140 destinations across a global network spanning six continents. The air cargo carrier offers customers cargo capacity on its modern fleet of all wide-body Boeing 777, Airbus A380 aircraft and 11 dedicated B777-F freighters

Under the terms of the MoU, Air Canada Cargo and Emirates SkyCargo will work closely on a number of initiatives, which include expanding cargo interline options and block space agreements, pending any required regulatory approvals. These enhancements aim to offer freight customers of both airlines access to more capacity on a larger combined global network.

Air Canada Cargo will have access to Emirates SkyCargo’s high frequency distribution network through the belly-hold of Emirates scheduled passenger flights to over 140 global destinations, as well as the additional capacity offered by 11 freighters currently in the Emirates fleet. In return, SkyCargo will have access to over 60 cities in Canada and more than 150 cities across five continents through Air Canada Cargo thanks to a fleet of Boeing 767 freighters and   the belly-hold capacity of Air Canada’s scheduled passenger flights.

Emirates ‘puts the love on top’ this Valentine’s Day

   

                                                             Love is a many-splendored thing at Emirates this February 14, as passengers are set to enjoy sweet treats onboard, a range of love-themed decadent desserts in the lounges, exquisite rosé champagne, tempting gift-giving offers, and an array of romantic movies and music.

This February, love is in the air on ice as Emirates passengers can immerse themselves in feel-good movies, such as 2022 romantic comedy ‘Ticket to Paradise’, starring Hollywood heartthrobs Julia Roberts and George Clooney. There is a selection of more than 70 romantic comedies and dramas available including new releases ‘Meet Cute’ starring Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson and ‘Ask Me to Dance’, as well as all-time classics ‘When Harry Met Sally’, ‘Bridget Jones Diary’ and ‘The Notebook’. Amidst a huge library of TV series, passengers can choose from bingeable box sets including modern mini-series like 'The Pursuit of Love' (2021), or period romance dramas like 'Emma' and 'Sense and Sensibility'.

Seductive soundtracks are already curated onboard ice with the ‘Love Is in The Air’ playlist and ‘Romantic Moments;’ a handpicked selection of classic love songs featuring Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Ed Sheeran, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack and many more. Before a flight, passengers can even browse and pre-select their movies, TV shows or music playlists on the Emirates app, which can be synced to ice from the moment of boarding.

On Valentine’s Day, onboard passengers in all classes will be treated to luscious brownies or red velvet cupcakes adorned with red and pink hearts, in their own Emirates mini giftbox, while red mood lighting lights up the aircraft. From the 13-15 February, Emirates Lounges worldwide will raise the romance with a beautiful array of themed treats, from chocolate hearts to Valentine’s mud cake, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Emirates completes engine ground testing with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Emirates has successfully completed the ground engine testing for one of its GE90 engines on a Boeing 777-300ER using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The objective of the ground testing and analysis is to demonstrate the capability of the GE90 engine to run on the specially blended 100% SAF without affecting its performance, requiring no modifications to the aircraft systems, or special maintenance procedures on the Boeing 777-300ER or GE90 engine to operate. SAF reduces carbon emissions over the fuel’s life cycle by up to 80%.

The ground test results will now pave the way for the airline’s first experimental test flight using 100% SAF in one engine, which is due for take-off this week. The testing activities involved running one engine on 100% SAF and the other on conventional jet fuel to better analyse the fuel system´s behaviour and performance under each fuel type, compare specific outputs of each engine, and ensure seamless operation of the aircraft’s engine and airframe fuel systems during the planned test flight.

During the ground testing at the state-of-the-art Emirates Engineering Centre in Dubai, the aircraft first went through its standard pre-inspection activities. After that, the stationary operating testing began by first running the Honeywell 331-500 auxiliary power unit (APU) on 100% SAF. The APU was then put under full load with SAF to start the engines. The left engine was exercised through its full power range, utilising the same settings that will be used for the experimental flight. This included idle, ‘take-off’ and ‘climb settings’ at full flight profile durations, running at maximum speed and intensity. Engines were then run at ‘cruise’ settings for 15 minutes. After the simulation ended, the engines were cooled down. Fuels were isolated in separate fuel tanks to maintain segregation of test fuels. Upon completion of the ground test, engine data was downloaded for review, comparison, and analysis.

At the Dubai Airshow 2021, Emirates, GE Aerospace and Boeing signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a programme for conducting a test flight using 100% SAF on an Emirates 777-300ER powered by GE90 engines.

Emirates has been working with its partners GE Aerospace, Boeing, Honeywell, Neste and Virent  Inc., a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corp throughout 2022 on SAF fuel blend testing. The partners have developed a blend with the same qualities and performance characteristics of conventional jet fuel and have collaborated on the technical analysis and operational requirements surrounding ground testing and experimental flight activities. The results of this initiative will provide additional data and research around synthetic fuel blend components and biofuels, supporting standardization and future approval of 100% drop-in SAF. Following the successful trial on one engine, Emirates will then continue to develop these initiatives with the engine airframe manufacturers as well as SAF providers with the goal of certifying these blends for commercial use. Currently, SAF is approved for use in blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel.

Emirates has long been a supporter of industry and government efforts to encourage the development of the SAF industry, and regularly participates in initiatives to contribute to SAF deployment. Its first flight powered by SAF blended with jet fuel was in 2017, operating from Chicago O’Hare airport on a Boeing 777.  Emirates received its first A380 powered by SAF in December 2020, and uplifted 32 tonnes of SAF for its flights from Stockholm earlier that year, with the support of Swedavia’s Biofuel Incentive Programme. Flights from Oslo have also begun operating on SAF.

Emirates is on the Steering Committee of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative, which seeks to promote SAF deployment worldwide. The airline has also contributed to the UAE government’s work on a SAF roadmap and the WEF-supported Power-to-Liquids Roadmap for the UAE.

Airbus A380 to return to Csablanca

The Emirates flagship double-decker A380 will soon be reintroduced to Casablanca as part of the airline’s ramp-up of operations to Morocco. 

Starting from 15 April, the airline will replace the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently used between Dubai and Casablanca with its flagship A380 to meet growing demand on the route. The A380 service, operating as EK751 departs from Dubai at 0730hrs, arriving in Casablanca at 1255hrs. EK 752 departs from Casablanca at 1445hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0115hrs the following day.

The enhancement of capacity between Casablanca and Dubai will offer leisure and business travellers more opportunities to connect to Dubai and beyond to cities across the Middle East and GCC, Europe, the Americas and West Asia.

The flagship A380’s deployment to Morocco is also a testament of the airline’s commitment to support inbound visitor arrivals as the country double downs its efforts to reinvigorate its tourism industry. Last year, Emirates enhanced its partnership with Royal Air Maroc to a codeshare, providing more travel options and connection choices for customers of both airlines between Dubai and Casablanca, and beyond.

Casablanca is a popular leisure destination on Emirates’ global network, and demand on the route has seen steady growth since being launched in March 2002. The airline has been operating to Morocco for over 20 years, and has carried more than 3.5 million passengers on the route.

The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers, with the spacious double-decked aircraft offering 14 First Class suites and 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class, as well as 401 generously pitched seats in Economy Class. Customers travelling to and from Casablanca can look forward to enjoying Emirates’ spacious and comfortable cabins, signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky like the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites, Shower Spa, and regional cuisine including a number of Moroccan dishes. The airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system offers more than 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment with a selection of upto 565 channels of Arabic music including a number of well-known Moroccan artists.

The airline has been gradually accelerating the deployment of its flagship A380 aircraft in line with growing demand for air travel. Emirates currently deploys its flagship A380 to 40 destinations worldwide. By the end of this summer, the popular aircraft will be serving almost 50 destinations, which represents close to 90% of the airline’s pre-pandemic A380 network.

The upgrade of A380 services to Casablanca also means the flagship now flies to three destinations in Africa together with Johannesburg and Cairo.