Emirates Expands Network in Mainland China
- Emirates Expands Network in Mainland China
Emirates Expands Network in Mainland China
14 December 2015
Dubai, UAE - 14 December 2015: Emirates
today announced that it will expand its services in mainland China with
four weekly flights to Yinchuan (INC) and Zhengzhou (CGO) utilising a
Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, starting from 3rd May 2016. These services
will offer new international connectivity for two of China’s fastest
growing cities, and expand Emirates’ destination offering on the
mainland to five, including: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Yinchuan,
the capital of Ningxia, lies to the West of the Yellow River and to the
East of Helan Mountain. With a large Muslim population, it serves as a
gateway connecting China to Arabic countries, and is positioned as a hub
for economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchange between China
and the Middle East.
Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan
Province and a major transportation interchange for central China, is an
educational, technological and economic centre. The second largest city
in central China, Zhengzhou’s strategic location has enabled the city
to become one of the largest economic hubs in China.
“With
the opening of these new strategic routes, Emirates looks forward to
contributing to the enhancement of China’s trade links with the rest of
the world, in particular with the UAE and Arab world. We believe the new
international air links that we are launching will help create tourism
and trade opportunities for Chinese business and leisure travellers that
may not otherwise exist,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum,
Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group.
“With our established network across Africa, Europe and the Middle East,
Emirates is a ready-made connector of people and trade, and we look
forward to further developing aviation links with China in a mutually
beneficial way.”
Emirates’ new services will connect
Yinchuan and Zhengzhou with many new destinations via a convenient
connection in Dubai, and help boost trade and tourism flows to the
growing central and western parts of China where these cities are
located.
Emirates flights to Yinchuan and Zhengzhou will
depart on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from Dubai as EK326
at 02:45hrs arriving at Yinchuan Hedong International Airport at
13:35hrs. The service will then depart from Yinchuan at 15:20hrs and
arrive at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport at 17:00hrs. The
return flight, EK327, will depart Zhengzhou at 21:10hrs, arriving at
Yinchuan at 22:55hrs. It will then depart Yinchuan at 00:40hrs, arriving
in Dubai at 04:30hrs the next day*.
Timings of the new
service have been scheduled to allow for seamless connections to many
Middle East, European and African destinations.
The
services will be operated by a three class configured Boeing 777-200LR
aircraft, offering 266 seats and 14 tonnes of cargo capacity in the
bellyhold.
Popular commodities expected to be
transported on these services include electronics, such as mobile phones
from Zhengzhou, and agricultural products such as goji berries and
cashmere from Yinchuan.
Supporting China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”
As
China looks to connect with the world through the ‘Belt and Road
Initiative’, Dubai is well-positioned to support China in achieving the
mutual benefits that will come from this Initiative, including deeper
levels of co-operation and exchange.
Located at the
crossroads of East and West, Dubai is the largest import-export hub in
the Middle East, connecting the world through its strong governance,
extensive trade networks and global connectivity links.
Ties
between Dubai and China continue to grow stronger. A growing number of
Chinese banks and businesses are establishing branches within Dubai’s
business and financial districts and the city is now home to over 3,000
Chinese companies and 200,000 Chinese residents. Growth in visitor
numbers to Dubai from China grew by 25% in 2014.
Emirates
has been a large part of this growth story, being the first airline to
establish non-stop connectivity between the Middle East and mainland
China, first with freighter operations to Shanghai starting in 2002,
followed by passenger services in 2004. Currently serving 54 cities in
30 of the 65 countries identified as part of the Belt and Road
Initiative, Emirates is uniquely positioned to support China in
advancing its trade and investment links with these countries.
“As China's regions continue to open up to the global economy, Emirates
remains keen to support this with the further expansion of air services
in mainland China. In particular we’re interested in exploring the
opportunity of daily services to Hangzhou and Chongqing, and a second
daily service to Guangzhou,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
Passengers
travelling on Emirates’ Boeing 777-200LR will be able to enjoy the
airline’s award-winning ice entertainment system with up to 2,000
channels of on-demand entertainment to choose from, including Mandarin
language movies and music.
Emirates flights to and from
China also cater to the needs of the Chinese market with
Mandarin-speaking cabin crew on board, and inflight cuisine options with
popular Chinese dishes. As with all Emirates flights, passengers
travelling on the Yinchuan and Zhengzhou services will enjoy the
generous Emirates baggage allowance of 30kg in Economy Class, 40 kg in
Business Class and 50 kg in First Class.
*Flight times are as per summer schedule
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