Emirates celebrates 30 years of connecting Lanka to the world
dubai — On April 1st, 1986, an Emirates Boeing 727-200 Flight EK800 departed Dubai International Airport touching down in Colombo, Emirates’ fourth global destination. Thirty years later, Emirates has logged 56 million miles, transported thousands of tonnes of cargo and continues to connect Sri Lanka to the world, with 34 flights a week to Dubai, Malé and Singapore.
With approximately 12,000 seats and 780 tonnes of cargo carried per week each way, Emirates’ service to Sri Lanka has proven to be an indispensable resource for travellers, exporters and importers over the years. The airline has already announced it will increase capacity further with the addition of a fifth daily flight between Colombo and Dubai from August 1, 2016.
“Over the past few decades, we introduced new products on the route and provided an award-winning inflight and on ground experience to Sri Lankan travelers. It’s been a remarkable journey and we look forward to offering further choice and excellent value for money to our customers in Sri Lanka,” said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ senior vice-president, Commercial operations- West Asia and Indian Ocean.
Emirates SkyCargo expands network to Phnom Penh
DUBAI — Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates airline, has further strengthened its extensive route network with the launch of a weekly freighter service to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, starting from Wednesday. The new freighter service to Cambodia’s capital is the carrier’s 53rd destination in its worldwide freighter network and the 13th in the Far East.
From Phnom Penh, cargo will be transported via a trucking network to reach other cities and regions in Cambodia.
“Cambodia’s air cargo market is growing at a robust rate with Europe and the United States being key export markets. Establishing a presence in this market will position Emirates SkyCargo to benefit from the healthy growth potential. Our strong route network and Dubai’s location as a global cargo hub mean that we can connect our customers in Asia to 150 destinations, including 42 gateways in Europe, 14 gateways in North America and 27 gateways in Africa,” said Hiran Perera, Senior Vice President, Emirates SkyCargo.