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Emirates Announces New Route to the Americas

Following months of speculation, Emirates has finally confirmed plans to connect its Dubai hub with Mexico City. The new daily service will link the Middle East and Mexico via Barcelona from December 9. The UAE airline is rostering its two-class Boeing 777-200LR for the sectors, with 38 seats in a 2-2-2 business class configuration, and 264 in economy.

The route is a new one for Emirates’ mainline passenger division, however its freight business Emirates SkyCargo has served the Mexican capital since 2014, carrying more than 22,500 tons (20,412 tonnes) within the last year alone. Emirates says key products such as avocados, berries, mangoes, automotive parts and medical supplies are among the most popular exports from Mexico. With the new 777 operation offering up to 14 tons (12.7 tonnes) on each flight, it is unclear if the passenger service will replace or enhance the company’s existing operation.

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline said: “The availability of high-quality, daily international air services is essential for the development of tourism, business and cultural ties. Trade, especially in high-value and time-sensitive products, will be facilitated by the ample cargo capacity on Emirates’ Boeing 777 aircraft. We also expect tourism to receive a major boost from the daily flights on our newly-refurbished Boeing 777-200LR.”

(Jesus Aranguren/AP Images for Emirates Airline)

While the stopover in Barcelona is likely to reap some additional revenue for the carrier, the decision is primarily a technical one. Situated at an altitude of 2,238ft (682m) – almost twice the height of the summit of Ben Nevis – Mexico City’s Benito Juárez Airport can limit the range of departing aircraft. Sir Tim described the Spanish city as “a natural choice” for breaking up the journey, adding that connections between Barcelona and the Mexican capital had “long been neglected by other airlines and remains underserved despite strong customer demand”.

Emirates represents the 43rd carrier operating international flights to Mexico, which is currently enjoying increased popularity among leisure travellers.

Flight EK255 will depart Dubai at 0330hrs local time, arriving in Barcelona at 0800hrs before departing again at 0955hrs and arriving into Mexico City at 1615hrs the same day. The return flight, EK256 will depart the Mexican capital at 1940hrs, arriving in the Mediterranean hotspot at 1325hrs the following day. EK256 will depart once again at 1510hrs bound for the UAE where it will arrive at 0045hr the next day.

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Emirates to go Double-Daily from Stansted

Emirates has announced it is introducing a second daily service from Dubai to London/Stansted. The new rotation is due to begin on July 1, and will bring the total number of daily Emirates flights serving London to 11.

In line with the existing Stansted service, the second daily flight to the Essex airport will also be operated by Emirates’  Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration with six private suites in first class, 42 fully-flat beds in business class and 306 seats in economy.

Credit: Emirates

“We are increasing capacity to London Stansted to meet steady demand from both leisure and business travellers to and from the region, as well as international student traffic to Cambridge,” commented Hubert Frach, Emirates divisional senior vice president, commercial operations west. “We continuously seek ways to maximise convenience and flexibility for our customers and the second daily flight combined with the optimal travel schedules will do exactly that; provide a seamless travel experience with Emirates,” he added.

As of July 1, the first daily flight from Dubai to Stansted will operate as EK65, departing Dubai at 0900hrs and arriving in London at 1330hrs. The return flight, EK66 will depart Stansted at 1500hrs and arrive in the UAE hub at 0105hrs the following day. The second daily flight will operate as EK67, departing the Middle East at 1415hrs and arriving in Stansted at 1845hrs. The return flight, EK68 will depart at 2110hrs and arrive at 0710hrs the following day.

The additional rotation will also double the daily cargo capacity offered by Emirates’ SkyCargo division to a total of 40 tonnes each way.

Ken O’ Toole, CEO of London Stansted (Credit: Stansted Airport)

“The announcement that Emirates is to double the capacity on its Dubai service is fantastic news for passengers and is a vote of confidence in both London Stansted Airport and the East of England,” said Ken O’ Toole, CEO of London Stansted. “Since day one this route has been extremely popular with passengers flying direct to Dubai but also taking advantage of the 150 onward connections available from the hub and today’s announcement is further evidence of the rising demand that exists for more long-haul services from Stansted,” the chief executive added.

The move marks the latest investment in the UK by Emirates, following on from inaugural flights to Stansted and Edinburgh in 2018. With this second daily flight, the airline will fly 140 weekly flights to and from the UK: six services a day from Heathrow, three daily from Gatwick and Manchester, two daily from Birmingham, Glasgow and London Stansted, and a daily service from Newcastle and Edinburgh.