Emirates Dubai-Milan, Rome flights soon

9 April, 2008:

Dubai-based airline Emirates Airline will soon offer non-stop daily flights to Italy's fashion hub of Milan, as well as the nation's capital Rome, bringing a new tailored approach to its Italian services.

Starting July 1, 2008, Emirates' flights from Dubai to Milan and Rome will both be direct, non-stop daily flights. These two Italian destinations have been added to Emirates' network just eight months after Emirates launched its Venice service.

According to Emirates, under the simplified routings, from July 2008 onwards, travelers to Milan and Rome can enjoy one continuous journey. The de-links will also increase passenger capacity on both routes, broaden passenger choice over seats and streamline the booking process for ticketing agents.

“This is great news for our passengers traveling in and out of this part of southern Europe. By removing stops en route, we can get customers to their chosen destination faster and in greater comfort," Keith Longstaff, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe, said. Adding that the airline can also offer more cargo space as the hold will be exclusive to either Milan or Rome, eliminating the need to share precious cargo space with another destination, he said that “these significant service improvements highlight our increasing commitment to Italy and to the customers who value our products and services.”

The Milan route will be served exclusively by an Airbus A330-200, offering First, Business and Economy class. The Rome flight will continue to be served by a Boeing 777-300, also on a three-class basis, Emirates pointed out.

Emirates, which now reaches 99 destinations across six continents, has been serving Italy since 1992, when it started flights between Dubai and Rome, followed in 2000 by services to Milan.

In July 2007, Emirates had launched flights to Venice, providing the only non-stop air link between the Middle East and one of the world's best known tourist destinations. Emirates is also the only airline in the world offering a water limousine airport transfer service, which transports Premium Class passengers to and from Venice airport aboard Riva-style vessels across the Venetian Lagoon.

Emirates had recently announced that it had enabled passengers to make mobile phone calls at 30,000 feet, the first airline in the world to commercially launch such a service. Serving 62 countries at the moment, the airline is adding new destinations to its route portfolio.