Emirates to launch flights to Ahmedabad

New Delhi, July 11: Emirates Airline will start non-stop servicesto Ahmedabad, providing a first direct link between India's sixthlargest city and Dubai.

Emirates plans to operate six flights a week to Ahmedabad fromwinter timetable beginning October 28. It will deploy A330-200 andB777-200 aircraft with two and three class configurations.

EK538 will depart Dubai at 2255 hrs on all days except Tuesday andarrive in Ahmedabad at 0310 hrs the following day. EK539 will departAhmedabad at 0425 hrs on all days except Wednesday and arrive in Dubaiat 0610 hrs.

The Dubai-Ahmedabad service will inject over 1,500 passenger seatsand 100-plus tonnes of cargo capacity per week. The initiativerepresents Emirates' fourth Indian gateway in a span of less than twoyears, the others being Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata and Bangalore --all launched in quick succession last year.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive ofEmirates Airline and group said the airline's decision to startoperations to Ahmedabad comes close on the heels of recent announcementto expand services to Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi and Hyderabad.

''I'm also confident the new, direct link will stimulate increasedcommerce and tourism exchange between long-standing partners -- theUnited Arab Emirates and India -- and prove popular with business andleisure travellers.''

UNI