EMIRATES, a global connector of people and places, will operate a one-off A380 service to Vienna next month, celebrating 10 years of commitment to Austria. The Emirates’ double decker, which carries over 500 passengers, will make history when it becomes the first-ever scheduled A380 service to Vienna International Airport.
On May 26, the A380 service will replace EK 125 and EK 8126 departing Dubai at 1715 hrs and arriving in Vienna at 2110 hrs. The flight leaves Vienna at 0020 hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0800 hrs the next day.“We would like to thank the Austrian Authorities and Vienna International Airport for supporting the deployment of this one-off Emirates A380 operation,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates executive vice-president and chief commercial officer. “Celebrating a decade of successful operations to Vienna is a historic milestone for us and demonstrates our continued commitment to Austria, which has become a key business and leisure destination for Emirates, in addition to a strategic gateway to the burgeoning economies of Central and Eastern Europe.” Emirates has developed its operations in Vienna using a strategic approach to gradually increase its services based on real market demand, and has been successful in doing so, recording high seat factors on a year round basis.“We hope that the iconic city of Vienna will become part of our growing list of international cities served by the Emirates A380. More importantly we hope that we are able to provide our world-class product, and much needed convenience, to both our customers in Austria and the thousands of international visitors who wish to travel there,” continued Antinori. Emirates currently has 47 A380s in service and 93 on order, more than any other airline globally. Emirates received 12 of the giant double decker aircraft over the last year. More than 23 million passengers have travelled on the Emirates A380 since it was first launched in 2008. LEONARDO DA VINCI AIRPORT Emirates recently celebrated the opening of its 35th dedicated lounge at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in Rome. The Emirates Lounge at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport represents a €2.53 million ($3.5 million) investment on the part of the airline, with the aim to provide a seamless, luxurious travel experience to its premium customers. Emirates customers to and from Rome grew by over 110 per cent in 2013 from 2009 figures. The airline remains one of the most committed enterprises in Italy, with the UAE being Italy’s first trading partner in the Middle East. Located at Terminal 3 in the airside transit area, a few metres after passport control, the new Emirates Lounge in Rome offers seating for 156 customers covering an indoor area of 920 square metres. It features a contemporary design and the same attention to detail as the other Emirates’ lounges throughout the world. Emirates currently operates in Italy with 42 weekly flights, including two daily flights to Rome Fiumicino, three daily flights to Milan Malpensa and a daily flight to Venice Marco Polo. SOUTH AFRICA FOCUSTwo of Emirates top five passenger destinations in Africa can be found in South Africa – Johannesburg and Cape Town, while South Africa as a whole has also been declared the top African destination by Emirates Holidays.The airline operates 161 flights a week from Dubai to Africa, serving 25 destinations in 21 countries. South Africa leads the way in Africa because of its outstanding natural beauty, wildlife and highly developed range of activities and excursions for individuals, groups and families, according to Emirates Holidays. Also in the top Africa five are Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco and Zimbabwe.Cairo was the airline’s first African destination in 1986. Conakry became the 25th gateway to be launched in October last year. Services to Abuja and Kano in Nigeria, which will supplement the existing service to Lagos, will start August 1. Until then, South Africa remains the only market with multiple passenger gateways. Emirates offers triple daily flights to Johannesburg, twice daily flights to Cape Town and a daily service to Durban.Emirates is currently running a series of special fares from Dubai to over 20 destinations in Africa, starting from Dh1,535 ($418).