Airline’s services to Baghdad increase to daily flight
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Wednesday, January 18th 2012 [ME NewsWire]
In an initiative to support developing Iraqi business segments, Emirates
has announced a 75 per-cent additional capacity increase between Dubai
and Baghdad, growing its services to seven flights per week.
Starting from 2nd February 2012, EK941 will depart daily from Dubai at
07:55am touching down at Baghdad International Airport at 09:40am the
same day. At 11:35am, return flight EK942 will depart Baghdad arriving
in Dubai at 14:55pm the same day.
“Since launching flights to the Iraqi capital three months ago our
operations have gone from strength to strength, on both the passenger
and cargo side. There is a significant demand for travel in and out of
Baghdad and this new daily service offers a significant boost to this
strategically important route for Emirates,” Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’
Senior Vice President, Gulf, Middle East and Iran said.
Emirates’ additional flights are a key element in supporting Iraq’s
rebuilding efforts. In particular the UAE has a significant interest in
promoting trade and investment with Iraq, as highlighted by the latest
trade figures released by the Iraqi Embassy.
According to the Iraqi Embassy, the volume of investments of UAE
companies in Iraq reached US $3 billion by the end of 2010 and is
expected to rise to US $6 billion in the coming years.
“We thank the Government of Iraq for their trust and will work hand in
hand with the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority to continue supporting the
country’s booming business sectors’,” Khoory added.
Emirates SkyCargo will continue to play a critical role in transporting
important commodities into Iraq including, foodstuffs, medical products,
spare parts and telecommunication equipment.
The extra flights will increase existing capacity by 75% per week in
both directions, making it easier for both business and leisure
travellers in Baghdad to connect to Emirates’ network of global
destinations. Popular destinations will include; the GCC, Levant, India,
China, US and the UK via Dubai.
The service will continue to be operated by an Airbus 330-200 in a three
class configuration, offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 seats in
Business Class and 183 seats in Economy Class.
In addition to Baghdad’s flight, Emirates currently operates a four
weekly service to Basra in Iraq and has offices located in both Basra
and Baghdad.
Emirates’ first flight to Baghdad landed on November 13th 2011.
Contacts
Media contact:
Shireen Deeb, Emirates Corporate Communications
+9714-7082208;
shireen.deeb@emirates.com
www.ekgroup.com/mediacentre
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