Emirates to start services to Thiruvananthapuram

On the same day, the airline will also boost services to two other major Indian cities - Cochin and Chennai.

Emirates will fly eight times a week to Thiruvananthapuram, its sixth destination in India and second city in the state of Kerala after Cochin. On the route, the airline intends to operate its modern Airbus A330-200 in a three-class configuration offering seats in First, Business and Economy class, as well as the B777-200 aircraft in a two-class configuration. Both wide-bodied aircraft offer industry-leading comforts including ergonomically designed seats, and personal entertainment systems in all classes.

On 1st February 2006, Emirates will also increase its service to Cochin from five-a-week to a daily service; and add four more flights to Chennai to serve the city eight times a week.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates Chairman, said:

'We are very pleased to be able to offer our customers more travel connections to and from India with our new flights to Thiruvananthapuram, and our increased service frequency to Cochin and Chennai.'

'Air transport links form the foundation on which commerce can prosper and on which friendly relations are built. We welcome our new links with Thiruvananthapuram and look forward to growing that relationship as we have done with the cities of Cochin and Chennai.'

Sheikh Ahmed added: 'We would like to thank the government of India for its support. Emirates is committed to contributing to the dynamic Indian economy, and we look forward to facilitating greater tourism and business traffic to the cities which we serve.'

In Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the state of Kerala, Emirates will invest in a dedicated sales office to provide top-notch service to its customers, and recruit over 25 staff to manage passenger, airport and cargo operations. The airline also intends to hire more staff in Cochin and Chennai to support its expanded operations.

The airline will promote its newest destination, Thiruvananthapuram, to business and leisure travellers through its sales and marketing efforts.

India is already one of the U.A.E.'s top five major trading partners with total trade volume chalking up over AED 13 billion in 2003. Bilateral ties between both countries continue to strengthen with each passing year.

Emirates' increased services to Cochin and Chennai will cater to the strong demand for seats between Dubai and India, as both booming economies attract growing interest from regional and international business traffic. The added flights will also benefit the large population of expatriates from India's southern states living and working in the U.A.E.

Emirates currently operates 43 non-stop flights a week between Dubai and India - 19 to Mumbai, seven to Delhi, four to Chennai, five to Cochin and eight to Hyderabad.