Emirates increases Casablance services

From now on, travellers from Dubai will be able to choose any day of the week to fly to the Moroccan city, and vice-versa.

The airline's dedication to the development of the Casablanca route since its start with three weekly flights in March 2002 has been rewarded by steady growth in passenger numbers. The frequency was doubled to six weekly flights in April of last year. As a result, in 2004 the route experienced a staggering increase of 83 per cent in the number of passengers carried, compared to the year before.

The seventh weekly service added today underscores the customer-driven success of the route, while demonstrating Emirates' confidence in the future of its Moroccan operations.

Nasser Bin Kherbash, Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Africa said: "Our good results on this route rely on the same value proposition that we offer on our entire network: a high quality product at affordable prices. Once our customers get a taste of the Emirates experience, they won't settle for anything less. They keep coming back to take advantage of our competitive advantages: product innovation, comfort, reliability and premium standards of service delivery."

Mr Bin Kherbash also seized the opportunity to express Emirates' appreciation for the efforts of the numerous travel agencies with whom it does business in Morocco. "They are integral partners in our local operation, and we owe them a big 'thank you'," he said.

According to him, the need for the seventh weekly flight to Casablanca had been clear for some time and Emirates had been looking to launch it at an early opportunity.

He concluded: "The gradual expansion of the business and tourism flows between Morocco, the Gulf and points beyond, combined with the rising expectation in the quality of the travel experience - fuelled to a great extent by Emirates itself - were the main drivers in our decision to offer the seventh daily flight."

Emirates will operate an Airbus A330-200 on the route. Passengers have a choice of First Class, Business and Economy on all flights, each offering the airline's award-winning inflight service.

The additional weekly service is one more step towards Emirates' goal of becoming the airline of choice for passengers travelling between the two cities. It also supports the airline's efforts to promote Morocco throughout its network as a leisure destination, thus helping the country to increase tourism revenues.

At the same time, the airline offers Moroccan travellers new destinations every year, and freight forwarders hi-tech and innovative cargo solutions, with an ever-increasing network which now spans 78 destinations in 55 countries.

The new frequency will boost Emirates SkyCargo's offering between Dubai and Casablanca to nearly 120 tonnes every week. The award-winning cargo division transports a range of goods - electronics, machinery, garments and shoes - from the Far East and the Indian subcontinent to Casablanca. From the city, Emirates SkyCargo carries exports such as electronics, computer parts, fish, foodstuff and local handicrafts to its hub in Dubai for the vibrant local market and for onward distribution across its network.

Emirates daily flight EK751 departs from Dubai every morning at 07:35hrs and lands at Casablanca's Mohamed V International Airport at 12:10hrs in the afternoon. The return flight EK752 takes off from there at 14:30hrs and arrives at Dubai International Airport early the next morning at 02:00hrs.