EK celebrates 25 years here

EMIRATES this week celebrated the 25th anniversary of its first flight to Australia, with the carrier now having taken more than 39 million passengers in and out of the country since 1996.

EK Divisional Vice President for Australasia, Barry Brown, said the milestone highlighted the airline’s long-standing commitment to the local market, where Emirates had also invested more than $100 million in arts, community and sports sponsorships.

More than 200,000 EK flights have operated to and from Australian ports, with top international destinations including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Greece.

Landmarks include the extensive partnership with Qantas, which “goes beyond a traditional codeshare alliance to include integrated network collaboration,” Brown said.

Throughout the pandemic EK continued cargo services, participating in the Australian Government’s International Freight Assistance Mechanism, while supporting exporters and bringing in millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The carrier had also invested more than $125 million in developing Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Resort west of Sydney’s Blue Mountains, the world’s first resort to achieve carbon-neutral accreditation through the planting of 175,000 native trees since its 2009 debut.

“Australia remains one of Emirates’ most important markets and it’s our crew, local suppliers and, of course, our Australian passengers that have made the last 25 years so memorable.

“We are here for the long haul and, despite the challenges and restrictions imposed on airlines operating in Australia over the past year, we continued serving the country and our customers.”