Emirates airline will supplement its current daily morning flights from Dubai to Paris with five additional weekly services, starting on March 27, company representatives said.
"Customer demand for our services to Paris has been steadily building up and we are pleased to offer the five additional weekly services. It creates more seat capacity on the route while also giving passengers greater flexibility in planning their travel times," said Keith Longstaff, senior vice-president of commercial operations-Europe.
Emirates will serve the route with Airbus A330s. Another two weekly services will be added in summer 2006, giving Emirates passengers two choices every day of the week.
The fact the airline will have moved from three flights each week just three years ago to 14 flights by 2006 is indicative of the success of the Paris route, company representatives said. The company also operates three weekly departures from Nice.
The increased frequency will expand Emirates SkyCargo's capacity by 95 tonnes every week, boosting its total weekly cargo capacity between Dubai and Paris to 215 tonnes. The cargo division transports products such as consumer electronics, fruit, vegetables and textiles to Paris from around its network, company representatives said.
From Paris, Emirates SkyCargo carries cheese, electronic products, designer wear, garments, luxury goods, industrial equipment and aircraft parts to its hub in Dubai for the local market and for distribution to the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East and Australasia.
Starting in December, Emirates will also introduce daily flights to Geneva, which will offer passengers access to Switzerland and greater ease of connection to French destinations such as the Rhne Alps region, Franche Comt and Burgundy.
Dubai airport best in Mideast and Africa
Dubai International Airport has been voted the Best Airport in the Middle East and Africa by IATA/ACI's AETRA survey.
The latest report for the year 2004 analyses the perceptions of over 80,000 passengers across 52 major international airports from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific regions.
Dubai International Airport has been named Best in the Middle East/Africa for Overall Passenger Satisfaction for the third time.
Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Group, commented: "We have always stressed providing the best of services and facilities to all our customers."
Last year, close to 22 million passengers passed through Dubai, and the number is expected to reach 25 million this year.
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