Emirates to Increase Beirut Capacity

Emirates has unveiled plans to increase capacity to Beirut, Lebanon.

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.”

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 First Class private suites, lie flat seats in Business Class as well as an Economy Class.

The first departure, EK 957 leaves Dubai at 07:20 and arrives in Beirut at 10:30. The return flight, EK 958, departs Beirut at 11:50, touching down in Dubai at 17:00.

The second flight, EK 953, departs Dubai at 15:10 and arrives in Beirut at 18:20, and returns as EK 954, departing Beirut at 19:45 and arriving in Dubai at 00:55 the next day.