Tuesday, Jun 04, 2013
Tokyo: Emirates has launched its latest non-stop route to Japan, offering daily direct flights from Dubai to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda). The new service, launched on Monday, marks the third gateway for Emirates in Japan and the airline’s 134th international destination in 77 countries on six continents.
“Our partnership with Tokyo International Airport is the one that helps connect two global hubs of development and growth - Japan and the UAE. Haneda will play an integral role in our route network and the launch of services demonstrates Emirates’ commitment to Japan,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President, Passenger Sales Worldwide, at a press conference held in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Since the announcement of Emirates’ flights to Osaka in 2002, trade relations between Japan and Dubai have flourished. Two-way trade between the UAE and Japan rose to $53.1 billion (Dh195.3 billion) in 2012, a growth of 5.4 per cent compared to the year before, Antinori said.
“Haneda is our third gateway in Japan and we are confident that the demand in terms of both passengers and cargo is strong enough to warrant Emirates operating non-stop, daily flights to both of Tokyo’s airports, offering our passengers more flexibility on the route to Dubai and onwards to over 70 destinations in the Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa and Europe,” Antinori added.
The launch of the new service comes in line with Emirates’ plans to expand and upgrade its networks of routes across the globe as well as to upgrade its fleet with new aircraft and replace the old ones with Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. It plans to expand its fleet to 250 aircraft by 2017, so as to meet customer demand and requirements for highly tech-equipped aircraft, said Salem Obaidullah, Emirates’ Senior Vice-President Commercial Operations, Far East and Australasia.
Emirates’ partnership with Japan Airlines has been expanded to include a codeshare on the new Dubai-Haneda-Dubai services. The flights will be identified with the Emirates EK code as well as with Japan Airlines JL code, the airline said.
Emirates now operates to 134 destinations in 77 countries across the world. It had earlier this year launched new routes to Warsaw and Algiers. Emirates has also announced plans to launch services to Stockholm, starting September 4, 2013, followed by Clark International Airport in Philippines on October 1, coinciding with its transatlantic route between Milan and New York.
By Khitam Al Amir Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
