Emirates to sponsor London's first cable car river crossing - the Emirates Air Line

Emirates Airline has signed a multi-million pound sponsorship deal for the UK capital city's first new urban cable car, to be named Emirates Air Line.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today announced that Emirates Airline will sponsor London’s exciting new cable car river crossing in a ten year deal worth £36m.

Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, and Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground and Rail, joined the Mayor to announce the sponsorship deal. The Emirates Air Line will feature on the iconic London Tube map and be included in Transport for London (TfL)’s travel information.

As title sponsor, Emirates will receive a range of naming and branding rights, including the right to name the scheme, its stations and the creation of a joint logo.

Clark said: “As one of the world’s most innovative airlines, the link with this new form of air travel in London is a perfect fit for us. The Emirates Air Line will take off as an iconic landmark for London. We are always looking for new ways to support the communities we serve and what better way than to bring this ground-breaking transport scheme to residents and visitors alike.”

The Emirates Air Line will connect north and south London, travelling between two new stations set to be named Emirates Greenwich Peninsula and Emirates Royal Docks. Scheduled for completion in summer 2012, the Emirates Air Line will offer commuters and visitors aerial views as they travel across the River Thames, providing a much needed additional river crossing.

Johnson said: “This multi-million pound deal is tremendous news for London, helping us to deliver a new addition to the city’s skyline. The Emirates Air Line will be an exciting and innovative mode of transport easing travel for thousands and offering spectacular bird’s eye vistas of our majestic Thames. The UK’s first urban cable car will also act as a vibrant catalyst for the further regeneration of east London helping to attract jobs and investment for the benefit of Londoners.”

With a capacity to carry up to 2,500 people per hour in each direction in the peak, equivalent to the capacity of 30 buses per hour, the Emirates Air Line will be the first of a package of measures to improve river crossings in east London. It is anticipated the Emirates Air Line will carry two million passengers per year.

The sponsorship deal secured by the Mayor and TfL will see Emirates provide significant private sector investment to this new transport scheme totaling £36m. The Emirates Air Line will be a key element of the Mayor’s vision to transform east London into a bustling metropolitan quarter teeming with new businesses, entertainment and leisure facilities supported by world-class transportation.

Creating a direct link between the O2, Europe’s biggest entertainment venue, and ExCeL, the UK’s largest exhibition centre, the Emirates Air Line will also provide an additional interchange between the London’s Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and London Underground’s Jubilee line. Both areas surrounding the Emirates Air Line have been earmarked for a number of regeneration projects with the Royal Victoria Docks selected as one of the new Local Enterprise Zones. The Emirates Air Line will play a key role in supporting these regeneration projects by providing a faster and more direct link, taking just five minutes to cross the river. It will also provide local communities access to a range of entertainment, job and leisure opportunities that are set to become available as part of the regeneration.

The announcement of the sponsorship agreement comes after an open and competitive process by led by TfL. The £36m sponsorship deal with Emirates forms part of the funding strategy to recoup the upfront construction costs provided for the link and provides 80%of the overall construction cost.

Work to construct the Emirates Air Line continues apace with the foundations to build the two stations, Emirates Greenwich Peninsula and Emirates Royal Docks, now complete. The steel towers which will hold up the cable line are currently being fabricated into giant helix components ready for installation on site. Over the next few weeks building of the stations sub-structures will start to form the shell of the new stations that will welcome passengers once the Emirates Air Line opens for business next year. This will coincide with the piling to install the towers that will support the cable line. The Emirates Air Line is already providing a real boost to the UK economy by creating work for the British manufacturing and construction industry. Factories across the UK are involved in the construction of this innovative transport project, from the steel towers to the moquette on passenger seats.

Brown added: “This marks the start of an exciting new partnership. It’s great that Emirates shares the Mayor and TfL’s vision to create this innovative transport link across the Thames and boost regeneration in the area, the first urban cable car in the UK. Main construction works began in July and we are on track to open next summer. Much of the manufacture, including the steel towers, is being built in the UK, boosting companies across the country.”

Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, at the announcement of the airline’s multi-million pound sponsorship of London’s new cable car river crossing – the Emirates Air Line.