Emirates to fly to Geneva from June

Emirates, the leading international airline of the UAE, will add Geneva to its European route network from 1 June.

The non-stop Dubai-Geneva service will be operated by a combination of Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The aircraft will be arranged in a three-class configuration, offering First Class Private Suites, lie-flat seats in Business Class, and a cabin in Economy Class.

Each Emirates’ 777 aircraft serving Geneva will have 15-20 tonnes of cargo capacity - space for plenty of luxury watches, along with high-end fashion goods, diplomatic cargo, relief shipments for the International Red Cross, pharmaceutical products and electronics, a statement said.

“Geneva is our second gateway into Switzerland after Zurich. We see strong demand for both leisure and business travel, bearing in mind the presence of hundreds of international organisations and Geneva’s status as a major financial centre,” said Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, Commercial Operations Worldwide.

“We’re just eight weeks out from the launch and last night’s road show event helps drive awareness throughout the travel trade about the new flights and the additional cargo capacity they offer in and out of Switzerland,” Vaughan added.

The daily flight leaves Dubai at 0855 hrs and arrives in Geneva at 1345 hrs. From Geneva, the return flight is at 1515 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2330 hrs.

Geneva will become the airline’s 26th destination in Europe and 112th point globally.

Emirates offers special April fare to Vienna

Emirates has announced a special limited-duration fare from Colombo to Vienna to celebrate the addition of six extra flights a week to the Austrian capital.

Valid for travel on Economy Class up to 15 May 2011, the special fare of Rs. 115,000 inclusive of country taxes and surcharges will be available for purchase till 30 April, the award-winning Dubai-based airline said.

Emirates is adding six extra flights to its daily service to Vienna from 27 March. The additional flights operating all days except Thursday, will be served by an Airbus A340-500, offering 12 First Class Private Suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 204 seats in Economy.

“The validity period for this special fare coincides with the school vacations and national New Year holidays in Sri Lanka, and provides a great opportunity to experience the City of Music,” said Devika Ellepola, Emirates Sales Manager in Sri Lanka. “Vienna is an aspirational travel destination for many, and Emirates is happy to make a visit more affordable.”

The special fare will be valid on Emirates flights EK125 and EK126 on all days they operate, with the exception of return flights (EK126) between 13 and 22 April.

All passengers on Emirates enjoy generous baggage allowances of 30kg, 40kg and 50 kg respectively on Economy, Business and First Class.

The addition of extra flights to Vienna is part of an overall strengthening of Emirates’ operations in Northern Europe. The Airline has also announced a doubling of its flights to Hamburg from 1 September, and the launch of services to Geneva from 1 June and to Copenhagen from 1 August 2011.

The winner of more than 400 top aviation industry awards, Emirates operates 21 flights a week from Colombo to Dubai. The Emirates network now comprises of 111 destinations on six continents.