Emirates to Launch Daily Flights to Dublin

Emirates is to launch daily flights to Dublin from January 2012, marking its first route to the Republic of Ireland.

The daily service, from 9th January next year, will leave Dubai at 07:00 and arrive in the Irish capital at 11:30. The return flight leaves Dublin at 12:55 and gets into Dubai at 00:25 the next day.

An Airbus A330-200 will be deployed between Dubai and Dublin, offering First, Business and Economy class.

Ireland has a population of around 4.5 million, but it's estimated more than 15 times that live overseas, including somewhere in the region of 80,000 Irish nationals in Australia and about 5,000 in the UAE. Other key markets are predicted to include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, South Africa, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

The Republic is a popular tourist destination and last year received 6.7 million visitors, drawn by the rich ancient history, spectacular countryside, traditional Irish music, thousands of miles of scenic coastline and renowned fresh air.

“We are delighted to welcome Emirates Airline to Dublin,” said Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) Chief Executive Declan Collier. “The significant improvements we have made to our facilities in recent years, including the opening of a new passenger terminal, was a major factor in helping to win this new business and we look forward to a successful partnership with our newest customer.”

Emirates SkyCargo is already active in Ireland, mostly carrying goods through Manchester, and with 14 tonnes of bellyhold capacity becoming available on each passenger flight, activity in the market will intensify. Pharmaceuticals, which make up nearly a quarter of Ireland's exports, are expected to be amongst the commodities carried, along with electronics.

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