Emirates has announced a third daily service to Birmingham Airport, becoming the first airline to offer a direct First Class service to the region.
Commencing August 1st, Emirates flight EK41, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, will depart Dubai International Airport at 02:35 and arrive in Birmingham at 07:05.
The outbound flight, EK42, will depart Birmingham Airport at 09:10 and arrive in Dubai at 19:10.
The additional service adds seven more inbound flights a week to Birmingham, increasing passenger and cargo capacity on the route by 42 per cent.
“Stepping up our presence in Birmingham will give customers across our network and across the Midlands, greater flexibility in their travel plans.
This is another significant investment in the UK market and we look forward to offering further choice and excellent value for money to travellers and businesses, including the cargo community,” said Hubert Frach, Emirates divisional senior vice president, commercial operations West.
“As part of our continued commitment, we’re excited to become the only airline offering First Class to the region, with the introduction of our acclaimed First Class Private Suites.”
Emirates started flying to Birmingham in December 2000 when it launched the route with a daily non-stop service, operated by a 278-seat Airbus A330.
In the 14 years since, Emirates has carried over 4.9 million passengers to and from Birmingham.
Passengers flying from the Midlands can travel to Dubai and beyond, to an ever expanding global network.
Popular destinations on the Emirates network from Birmingham include Dubai, Australia, India, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong.
The new daily service will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three class configuration. The added capacity provides eight Private Suites in First Class, 42 Business Class seats and 310 Economy Class seats per day, as well as 23 tonnes of additional cargo capacity per flight.
Popular commodities are expected to include; seafood, clothing, vehicle parts and foodstuffs.