Cyprus Dubai flights from Emirates from Dec 1, 2008

In a further ramping up of its services in Europe, Dubai based Emirates Airline will kick off daily flights to Cyprus from December 1. Emirates has been flying to Cyprus since 1994 and currently offers a five-times a week service from Dubai.

From December 1, 2008 an Emirates flight would depart Dubai on a daily basis at 8:15 am, and arrive in Larnaca at 10: 25 am. The flight will depart Larnaca each day at 7:30 pm, and land in Dubai 3 hours and 10 minutes later. According to Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe, ” After 14 years of services, we are extending our commitment to the island and significantly improving connections to and from Dubai and beyond, opening up more possibilities for travellers, trade and Emirates SkyCargo freight throughout the broadening Emirates’ network.”

The changes in Cyprus will be an extension of the current arrangement whereby the Emirates flight continues on to Malta . Flights out of Malta then stop off in Larnaca on the way to Dubai . A combination of Boeing 777 aircraft will continue to serve the route, the latest of which carry the revolutionary in-flight entertainment system, ice, a spokesperson said.

The Emirates Holidays destination of Cyprus is the third largest Mediterranean island and attracts over 2.4 million tourists per year. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is said to have emerged from the waters of this tiny country, leaving a romantic legacy which continues to draw holidaying couples, the spokesperson added.

Emirates is also making a series of enhancements to its services across Europe this year. While Dubai-Malta becomes a seven-days a week service in December, flights to Nice would be upgraded to non-stop, five times a week. Milan and Rome had got their daily, non-stop flights from July 1st this year, while London Heathrow is set to be the first European Airport to be served by an Emirates A380, effective December 1. Besides these destinations, new routes for this year include Cape Town, Kozhikode in India and Guangzhou in China. Los Angeles services would kick off on October 25, followed by San Francisco on December 15, the airline said.