Emirates adds more Far East capacity

Dubai-based carrier Emirates is to increase its Far East services with a double daily service from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and three additional weekly flights from Dubai to Jakarta in the Philippines from May 1.

The airline reasoned the increase with the World Bank forecast that pointed to 5.3% rise in GDP of the Far East this year.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, Commercial Operations Worldwide said: “Despite the current economic environment, the Middle East and Far East regions continue to register growth in their travel and tourism industries. In the Far East these industries are expected to post average annual gains of 6.3% over the coming 10 years.

“While Malaysia continues to be a leading holiday destination, Indonesia is investing significantly in developing its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) infrastructure in order to get a slice of the bustling conference market in the Far East. We are also noticing a growing outbound tourism market from these countries as Malaysians and Indonesians increasingly embark on overseas holidays.

“Emirates’ growing services will provide the infrastructure to support this growth.”

An Emirates Boeing 777

Jakarta
Emirates will expand its current daily service to 10 flights a week. The three additional flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and will introduce over 1,200 passenger seats and approximately 50 tonnes of cargo capacity per week each way. The airline says these flights will provide business travellers smooth connections to Johannesburg, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha and Bahrain, and support the Indonesian government’s initiatives to boost trade and commerce with Africa and Middle East.

The extra cargo capacity will advance Indonesian exports of garments, leather, shoes and tropical fish to Europe, North America, Africa, Middle East, and the Indian sub-continent.

• EK358 will depart Dubai at 10:55 hours and arrive in Jakarta at 22:35 hours.
• EK357 will depart Jakarta at 17:55 hours and arrive in Dubai at 22:45 hours.

Also coming into effect from May 1 the existing EK357 flight service will be renumbered to EK359, while flight timings and days of operation remain unchanged.

Kuala Lumpur
Emirates will add two flights to its existing 12 flights-a-week service, bringing the total to 14 flights a week. The carrier said this development is strengthened with the introduction of a First Class cabin service on four of the 14 weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur, underscoring Malaysia’s importance in Emirates’ Far East network.

Also, the UAE is one of Malaysia’s top trading partners. The country’s total trade with the UAE in 2008 amounted to $4.5 billion – an increase of 45.7% over the previous year.

The start of a three-class service will cater to increased tourist arrivals from the Middle East to Malaysia during the June - September holiday season. The service will be available on EK342/343 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and on EK 346/347 on Sundays.

The airline will also increase its cargo capacity on the route by 17% as a result.

EK342 will depart Dubai every Wednesday at 10:30 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 21:35 hours. Return flight EK 343 will depart Kuala Lumpur the following morning at 02:00 hours, arriving in Dubai at 04:50 hours.

EK346 will depart Dubai every Sunday at 03:15 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 14:15 hours. It will turnaround as EK347, taking off from Kuala Lumpur at 19:30 hours and arriving in Dubai at 22:20 hours.