Emirates to Launch Fourth Italian Gateway

Emirates to Launch Fourth Italian Gateway

Daily flights to Bologna from 3rd November 2015

Auckland, 28th May 2015 – Emirates has today announced plans to start a daily service to Bologna, Italy, from 3rd November 2015.

The capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, Bologna will the fourth Emirates’ Italian destination that New Zealand travellers can connect to through Emirates’ hub in Dubai.

Set to be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a three class configuration, Emirates will offer the only long-haul wide-bodied service to and from Bologna. The flight directly connects with Emirates’ triple daily A380 flights from Auckland to Dubai and Christchurch’s daily Boeing 777 service to Dubai.

Emirates’ flight EK093 will depart Dubai International Airport at 0845hrs and will arrive at Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport at 1220hrs the same day. The return flight will depart Bologna at 1440hrs and arrive in Dubai at 2330 the same day.

Known as the ‘European Capital of Culture’ Bologna is a vibrant economic and tourism centre as well as being the perfect stepping off point for travellers looking to explore the neighboring cities of Florence, Verona, Parma and Pisa.

“The addition of a fourth Italian gateway is another new and exciting development for Emirates. We have been committed to Italy for over 23 years and in that time we have played an important role in increasing opportunities for business and tourism across the country, thanks to our convenient connections to over 49 destinations in the Far East, Middle East and Africa,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

“Our three class Boeing 777 product is second to none, offering our customers unrivalled comfort across the board. We offer one of the best inflight products in the sky, with multi-award winning cuisine and inflight entertainment and we are proud to be bringing this to Bologna. As the industrial epicentre of Italy we expect to see strong demand from both the passenger and cargo side of our business, taking advantage of convenient access to our extensive network in the East including our home, Dubai, one of the fastest growing economic centres in the world,” added Mr Antinori.

“We are very proud to have Emirates fly to Bologna from November this year,” said Enrico Postacchini, Chairman of Aeroporto di Bologna (AdB). “The airline’s top-class service enables us to connect our dynamic territory, rich of both artistic heritage and economic and entrepreneurial spirit, with Dubai, the perfect gateway for access to Emirates’ network in Asia and Africa.”

Passengers to and from Bologna will enjoy unrivalled comfort and amenities on board Emirates' Boeing 777-300ER which is equipped with eight luxurious private suites in First Class, 42 of its latest lie-flat seats in Business Class, and generous space for 310 passengers in Economy Class.

Throughout all cabin classes, passengers can enjoy more than 2,000 channels of entertainment on demand on ice, the airline's award-winning in-flight entertainment system. Passengers on all Emirates flights also have the added bonus of a generous baggage allowance with 30 kilogrammes for those travelling in Economy Class, 40 kilogrammes for Business Class and 50 killogrammes in First Class.

With the new daily flight to Bologna, Emirates SkyCargo will offer up to 23 tonnes of cargo capacity per day, further supporting Italian exports of cosmetics, construction equipment and machinery, automotive spare parts and handicrafts. Inbound to Bologna Emirates SkyCargo is expected to carry leather goods, garments, footwear and perishables.

Emirates has been contributing to Italy’s connectivity since 1992 when it first launched flights to Rome. In the last 23 years Emirates has grown its presence in line with demand and today, measured on the basis of flights and purchases of Italian goods and services, the airline supports more than 10,000 jobs in Italy and contributes €747 million to the economy.

Emirates currently operates a triple daily flight to Rome and Milan and daily flight to Venice. Emirates also operates a daily flight to New York from Milan which will be operated by an A380 aircraft from 1st June 2015.

With the launch of Bologna Emirates will increase its European network to an impressive 38 passenger destinations.

ENDS

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