EMIRATES Airlines made history last month when EK261 took off from Dubai International Airport en-route to Sao Paulo, Brazil; representing the first ever non-stop flight between the Middle East and South America.
Emirates is using its technically advanced Boeing 777-200LR on the route, with Brazil becoming the 60th country and Sao Paulo the 94th destination on its rapidly expanding network.
Passengers from over 12 countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Malaysia and Australia, were on the first flight after connecting through Dubai from other Emirates flights.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline & Group said: “Today marks an important milestone for Emirates; not only is it our first gateway in South America, but it means we now fly non-stop to six continents from Dubai.
“Our services provide a perfect match for business people and leisure travellers from the whole Middle East region, Africa, Far East and Australia seeking a convenient route to South America. The service will also offer Dubai as a new tourist and business destination to the relatively untapped market of South America.“
On board the first flight from Dubai to Sao Paulo was Flavio Moreira Sapha, the Brazilian Ambassador to the UAE.
Passengers travelling on the Dubai – Sao Paulo route will enjoy unrivalled in-flight service, including eight luxurious private suites in First Class, 42 of its latest lie-flat seats in Business, and generous space for 216 passengers in Economy.
The aircraft is fitted with the ice Digital Widescreen - Emirates’ next generation inflight entertainment system, offering over 1,000 channels of movies, TV and game entertainment on demand - more than any other airline offers, by far.
Departing Dubai at 10:00 hrs, the flight time was 15 hours and 30 minutes with an arrival time at Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport of 18:30 hrs on the same day.