The Middle East and Far East get closer with Emirates

DUBAI, U.A.E., 20th April 2009 – Emirates Airline is bridging the Middle East and Far East – two regions that continue to record healthy growth rates – with its announcement of double-daily services from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur and introduction of three additional weekly flights from Dubai to Jakarta, effective 1st May 2009.

The announcement closely follows the release of World Bank forecasts that point to 5.3% rise in the gross domestic product of the Far East region this year. The development also comes close on the heels of heightened economic dialogue between the UAE and Indonesia as the latter seeks to boost bi-lateral cooperation with the Middle East and Africa.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide noted: “Despite the current economic environment, the Middle East and Far East regions continue to register growth in their Travel and Tourism industries. In the Far East these industries are expected to post average annual gains of 6.3% over the coming 10 years.

“While Malaysia continues to be a leading holiday destination, Indonesia is investing significantly in developing its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) infrastructure in order to get a slice of the bustling conference market in the Far East. We are also noticing a growing outbound tourism market from these countries as Malaysians and Indonesians increasingly embark on overseas holidays.

“Emirates’ growing services will provide the infrastructure to support this growth.”

Jakarta
Emirates will expand its current daily service to 10 flights a week. The three additional flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and will introduce over 1200 passenger seats and approximately 50 tonnes of cargo capacity per week per direction. The flights provide business travellers smooth connections to Johannesburg, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha and Bahrain, and support the Indonesian government’s initiatives to boost trade and commerce with Africa and Middle East.

The extra cargo capacity will advance Indonesian exports of garments, leather, shoes and tropical fish to Europe, North America, Africa, Middle East, and the Indian sub-continent.

EK358 will depart Dubai at 10:55 hours and arrive in Jakarta at 22:35 hours.
EK357 will depart Jakarta at 17:55 hours and arrive in Dubai at 22:45 hours.

Also effective 1st May, the existing EK357 flight service will be renumbered to EK359, while flight timings and days of operation remain unchanged.

Kuala Lumpur
The commencement of double-daily flights is strengthened with the introduction of First Class cabin service on four of the 14 weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur, underscoring Malaysia’s importance in Emirates’ Far East network.

Also, the UAE is one of Malaysia’s top trading partners. The country’s total trade with the UAE in 2008 amounted to USD 4.5 billion – an increase of 45.7% over the previous year.

The start of a three-class service will cater to increased tourist arrivals from the Middle East to Malaysia during June – September holiday season. The service will be available on EK342/343 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and on EK 346/347 on Sundays.

Cargo capacity will increase by 17% post expansion.

EK342 will depart Dubai every Wednesday at 10:30 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 21:35 hours. Return flight EK 343 will depart Kuala Lumpur the following morning at 02:00 hours, arriving in Dubai at 04:50 hours.

EK346 will depart Dubai every Sunday at 03:15 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 14:15 hours. It will turnaround as EK347, taking off from Kuala Lumpur at 19:30 hours and arriving in Dubai at 22:20 hours.

Also effective 1st May, the existing EK343 and EK347 flight schedules have been revised.

More information is available on www.emirates.com