Emirates Upgrades Services to Lebanon
DUBAI, UAE – 6 April 2015– Emirates, a global connector of people and places, is reinforcing its commitment further in Lebanon by upgrading both of its aircraft serving Beirut to an all Boeing 777 operation.
The Airbus 330-200 currently deployed on one of Beirut’s two daily flights, EK 953/954, will be upgraded to a larger Boeing 777-200LR from 1 June, giving a 12% boost to seat capacity.
Similarly, the A330-200 supporting EK 957/958 will be up-gauged to a Boeing 777-300 as of 1 January 2016, providing a 53% increase in the number of seats available to customers.
Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Centre said: “Lebanon is one of our most important markets in the Middle East so we are constantly seeking ways to enhance our services, while responding to healthy passenger demand. Both upgrades to our services will open up more seats to our customers travelling to and from Beirut and will boost Emirates’ contribution to Lebanon’s vital tourism industry, which is the backbone of its economy. The enhanced services and increased capacity will also expand Lebanese businesses’ access to global markets, yielding benefits to the country’s economic output.”
He added: “We believe the up-gauges will also provide us the increased ability to serve demand from the Lebanese diaspora around the world, including the large Lebanese expatriate community in the UAE, who will benefit from our enhanced product offering when they go home to visit friends and family.”
The UAE is home to almost 150,000 Lebanese residents, which form one of its largest expatriate communities. Additionally, over 1,500 Lebanese businesses operate in Jebel Ali Free Zone, supporting a trade relationship between Lebanon and the UAE that is estimated to be over AED 4 billion, according to the UAE Ministry of Economy.
Since 1991, when the first service to Beirut was inaugurated, over 3.6 million passengers have flown on Emirates. The airline currently offers double daily flights to Beirut, connecting travellers to destinations like Luanda, Manila, Guangzhou, Dhaka and Shanghai via its Dubai hub.
The Boeing 777 aircraft to be introduced on Beirut will feature luxurious First Class private suites, lie flat seats in Business Class and generous space for passengers in Economy Class. Customers can enjoy Emirates’ world-famous service from its multi-national cabin crew including many native speakers of Arabic and French, gourmet cuisine and more than 2,000 channels of on-demand audio and visual entertainment on its award-winning ice system, including over 134 Arabic channels.
Passengers travelling First Class have a very generous baggage allowance of 50kg, while the allowance in Business Class is 40kg and in Economy Class 30kg.
Emirates SkyCargo will also offer an increased cargo bellyhold capacity of 560 tonnes per week in and out of Beirut. Main commodities exported from Lebanon bound for the UAE include fruits, vegetables and meat, automotive spare parts and electrical equipment. Beyond the UAE, exports bound for markets within the Emirates worldwide network include fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and meat, household goods and automotive spare parts.
The first departure, EK 957 leaves Dubai at 0720hrs and arrives in Beirut at 1030hrs. The return flight, EK 958, departs Beirut at 1150hrs, touching down in Dubai at 1700hrs.
The second flight, EK 953, departs Dubai at 1510hrs and arrives in Beirut at 1820hrs, and returns as EK 954, departing Beirut at 1945hrs and arriving in Dubai at 0055hrs the next day.