Emirates to launch non-stop flights from Dubai to Tokyo, Amsterdam, Prague, Madrid; seeking daily Toronto flights

Emirates, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced that it will launch non-stop flights from Dubai to Tokyo on March 28, 2010; to Amsterdam on May 1, 2010; to Prague on July 1, 2010; and to Madrid on August 1, 2010.

Richard Jewsbury, senior vice-president (commercial operations – Far East and Australasia) of Emirates, said in a statement that the carrier will operate 5 flights a week on the Dubai-Tokyo route.

Emirates already operates daily, non-stop services from Dubai to Osaka in Japan.

According to Emirates, since over 3,000 Japanese nationals live in Dubai, both the existing and the new flights from Dubai to Japan will provide a seamless connection between the two countries.

With the opening of the Dubai-Tokyo route, the passengers from Japan can use the Emirates’ network on 6 continents via Dubai, the airline added.

Emirates received permission to operate the direct, non-stop flights between Dubai and Tokyo following the revision of the air services agreement between Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

In the statement, Richard Jewsbury said the new Dubai-Tokyo route of Emirates will also reinforce the long-standing partnership between Emirates and Japan Airlines, with code-sharing on services to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, apart from the current code-share on Emirates’ flights to Osaka.

Emirates, which has its hub at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, said it has flown over 1.3 million people and 60,000 tonnes of freight since it started air service to Japan in  2002, and it expects both the passenger volume and the cargo volume to increase.

Trade between the United Arab Emirates and Japan went up by as much as 300% to over $57 billion in 2008 from $14.5 billion in 2002 – the year in which Emirates started its flights to the Japanese city of Osaka.

Meanwhile, Emirates is trying to operate daily flights between Dubai and Toronto (Canada). At present, Emirates flies 3 days a week on the Dubai-Toronto route.

According to Andrew Parker, senior vice-president (public, international, industry and environment affairs) of Emirates, the airline is also seeking to launch daily flights from Dubai to the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Calgary.

Parker said Emirates has been trying for over a year now to obtain the Canadian government’s approval for more flights from Dubai to Pearson International Airport in Toronto, as well as to launch new service to Vancouver and Calgary.