Emirates Goes Double Daily to Rome

Emirates has increased its flights to Rome from Dubai to double daily. The Dubai-Rome route supplements double daily flights to Milan and a daily flight into Venice.

Salem Obaidalla, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & the Russian Federation, said, "We have been strengthening our services to Rome since October of last year, gradually building up to the double daily. We know Rome is a powerful tourism magnet with historical gems such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. But it is also an important business centre, so we're confident the extra flight will be a success."

EK097 departs Dubai at 09:25 and arrives in Rome's Fiumicino Airport at 12:45. EK098 leaves Rome at 14:30 and gets into Dubai at 23:00.

Alternatively, EK095 takes off from Dubai at 15:05 and touches down at Fiumicino Airport at 18:35. The return sector sees EK096 depart Fiumicino Airport at 20:25, landing in Dubai at 05:05 the following day.

 The route is served by a combination of Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a three-class configuration.

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) lists Italy as one of the top five visited countries globally, with 2008 figures showing more than 42 million international tourist arrivals.

In recent weeks, Emirates has been intensifying its activities in Europe. On 1st January, flights to Nice went from five flights a week to daily, further opening up the popular French Riviera. France is also ranked in UNWTO's top five countries.

Three out of the airline's four new routes announced so far in 2010 fall in Europe. Amsterdam starts 1st May, Prague begins 1st July and Madrid launches 1st August.

To support the expansion of services, the airline expects to receive 11 new aircraft during 2010 and is recruiting cabin crew and pilots. Currently, there are 145 aircraft in the fleet, including 8 A380s.

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