Emirates adds fifth daily frequency to Karachi

Thursday, 29 March 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has strengthened its commitment to Pakistan by announcing the addition of a fifth daily flight to and from the city of Karachi.

Effective 1 August, the airline will be operating to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi five times a day. This move reinforces Emirates’ presence in the Pakistani landscape and provides passengers with more flexibility and options when travelling to the country’s commercial hub.

“This is very exciting news for us as Karachi was the inaugural destination of Emirates when the airline began operations in 1985,” said Vice President Pakistan and Afghanistan Badr Abbas, commenting on the development. “We are proud to have announced a fifth daily flight to Karachi in a move to better serve our Pakistani passengers and strengthen the historic relationship between Pakistan and UAE. We hope to continue on this path by further expanding our services in Pakistan and are grateful to all the relevant government and aviation authorities for making this possible.” Karachi is known as the financial capital of Pakistan and the additional flight will not only further leisure and business travel but also boost economic activity by providing increased cargo capacity for popular Pakistani exports to many destinations on Emirates’ global network.

The additional frequency will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration. Flight EK608 will depart Dubai (DXB) daily at 14:55 local time and arrive in Karachi (KHI) at 18:05. EK609 will depart Karachi at 19:35 local time and arrive in Dubai at 20:50. In the past six months, Emirates has experienced robust growth and increased its presence in Northern Pakistan by starting additional flights to Peshawar, Lahore and Islamabad. Starting August, Emirates will be operating 54 weekly flights to and from four cities in Pakistan – Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar – of which two frequencies are subject to Government approval.