Emirates has launched a new service to the Indian Ocean island country of Mauritius.
The airline recently celebrated the launch of the Mauritius flights with a gala reception in Port Louis, the capital. Emirates flies three times a week, non-stop to Mauritius, operating an Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a two-cabin configuration, with 34 Business and 251 Economy Class seats. "We believe Mauritius will be an important route for us and our three flights a week will connect the island to Dubai and points beyond in the Middle East, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East and West Asia," Emirates chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said. He also opened Emirates' new office in Port Louis. Flight EK701 departs Dubai every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at 2.30 am, arriving in Mauritius at 9 am. Flight EK702 returns on the same days, taking off from Mauritius at 11.30 pm and touching down in Dubai the next morning at 6 am. Emirates Holidays has introduced holiday packages to Mauritius in its latest World of Choice brochure, featuring over 20 hotels and apartments, all of which are situated along the coast. The UAE carrier has also signed a deal with French railways to give travellers better air/rail links between Dubai and France. Emirates said its deal with SNCF French Railways would give rapid air/rail links between Dubai and six of France's regional cities via its daily flights to Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Lille, Lyons, Nantes, Rennes, Bordeaux and Avignon are already on the plane-to-train map; with three more cities will be joining soon - Marseille, Montpelier and Nimes, the airline said. The Emirates' air tickets entitle passengers to rail vouchers, which can be collected up to 20 minutes before the train leaves.