Emirates Chairman meets South Koreas's Prime Minister

Sheikh Ahmed is in Seoul to celebrate the airline's daily non-stop services to Dubai launched earlier this month. He leads a delegation of senior Emirates executives that includes Ghaith Al Ghaith, Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide and Richard Vaughan, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Far East and Australasia.

Sheikh Ahmed said: "We appreciate the cooperation that the Korean authorities have extended to Emirates, which has made it possible for us to launch non-stop service between our countries. Our daily flights between Seoul and Dubai will benefit travellers as well as shippers. There is already a strong trade relationship between the two cities, and we will continue to work with our partners in the industry to realise the potential for greater tourism and trade growth in both directions."

South Korea is among Dubai's top 10 trading partners, with bilateral non-oil trade reaching US $1.3 billion in 2003. Dubai's main Korean imports include textiles, automobiles and appliances, while main non-oil exports to Korea include base metals, plastics and animal products.

Sheikh Ahmed had officially opened Emirates' elegant new town office in Seoul, and hosted a gala function for its industry partners, local community leaders and other VIPs.

Seoul is one of the newest destinations to join Emirates' fast-growing network which now spans 78 cities in 54 countries. The airline operates an Airbus 340-300 in a three-class configuration on the Dubai-Seoul route, offering 267 seats and 13 tonnes of cargo.