Emirates takes centre court by sponsoring Italian Open

Thursday, 10 May 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Emirates has entered another big hitting sponsorship in Italy by supporting the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Italian Open) in a deal which runs until 2014.

This year’s tournament takes place 12-20 May in Rome, where Emirates will add a third daily flight from 1 October, taking the total number of flights into the country each week to 56.

“This is another significant initiative to support sport in Italy and connect with sports fans around the world, said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation. “The Internazionali BNL d’Italia adds a new component to the multi-billion euro trade relationship between Italy and the UAE.” “This agreement with such a world-famous partner as Emirates confirms the prominence of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia,” said Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis Federation. “In recent years, interest in tennis and for our tournament has been continuously increasing, enabling us to now reach the highest level of sponsorship in the history of the competition, both in terms of revenue and prestige.”

The three year agreement with Internazionali BNL d’Italia includes court branding, advertising, player access, a commercial booth, tournament hospitality and on-site sponsorship activation activities.

The international airline of the UAE, which has recently launched the new brand platform, “Hello Tomorrow,” currently offers 42 flights a week into Italy; double daily to Milan, Venice and Rome, which includes an A380 service. Milan will be served three times daily from 1st June, further enhancing the $4.6 billion trade relationship between Italy and the UAE. Emirates is the Official Airline of the US Open and the title sponsor of the Emirates Airline US Open Series, ten events which combine to form the summer hard court season that leads into the US Open.

Emirates is also the Official Airline of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, the Rogers Cup in Canada and the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia, is the most prestigious red clay court tournament after the French Open, and is the second major sponsorship commitment for Emirates in Italy after AC Milan. The airline currently holds shirt sponsor status in a deal spread over five years, which kicked off in the 20102011 season.

With a fleet of 171 aircraft and the world’s largest A380 fleet, Emirates flies to 123 destinations across six continents. So far this year, new routes have been launched to Dublin, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Lusaka, Harare, Dallas and Seattle. Services to Ho Chi Minh City start on 4 June, followed by Barcelona on 3 July, Lisbon from 9 July and Washington as of 12 September.