Emirates To Fly Daily Non-Stop Between Dubai And Vienna, Austria
Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, is again expanding its European network with plans to link Dubai and
Vienna. The world's fastest-growing intercontinental airline will start with four non-stop flights a week to the
Austrian capital from May 1, rising to daily from May 15.
The new route ? which will start barely 20 days after the launch of two other new Emirates services to Glasgow and
Shanghai - will make Vienna the 77th destination in a route network that now already serves 74 cities in 52 countries.
Europe is increasingly important for Emirates, which has earned more than 250 quality awards from customers since it was
set up in 1985.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates' Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide, Keith Longstaff, Senior Vice
President Commercial Operations Europe, and just-appointed Martin Gross, Area Manager Austria, announced the expansion
at briefings for nearly 600 travel agents and media representatives from Austria and Eastern Europe, in Vienna's
historic Hofburg palace.
Mr Al Ghaith said: "This new Emirates route will give Austrian air travellers and cargo shippers direct access to Dubai,
one of the world's most dynamic and fast-growing centres for tourism and commerce, and a major connecting hub for dozens
of cities throughout Africa, Indian sub-continent and Asia-Pacific."
The new Airbus A330-200 service will become increasingly important as the European Union adds new members in Eastern
Europe from May 1, including the more than 27 million combined population of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and
Slovenia.
Mr Al Ghaith told the media representatives: "Vienna will be right at the heart of the newly expanded part of the
European Union. Our decision to launch this route could not be timelier and it's an opportunity that we couldn't miss."
Emirates already serves major routes in Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Asia-Pacific. It will
start passenger flights on April 10 to Shanghai and Glasgow and on June 1 to New York, which then will become its 78th
destination. Last year it launched services to Auckland, Moscow and Brisbane, and already this year has added Lagos and
Accra.