Emirates to launch Venice flights

LAUNCH: Dubai-based Emirates Airline announced it will launch non-stop services to the city of Venice, its third Italian destination after Milan and Rome, from next Summer.

The service, initially five-times-a-week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, will increase two months later to a daily service from September 1, 2007.

Emirates will operate an Airbus A330-200 on the route offering 27 Business class seats, and 251 in Economy; plus 13 tonnes of bellyhold space for cargo.

Emirates' Dubai-Venice flight will create a new non-stop connection that is expected to foster a greater flow of tourism and business traffic between one of the Middle East's fastest-developing leisure and business hubs, and the thriving commercial region of Veneto in northern Italy.

Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said "We are delighted to have the opportunity to expand our services to Italy and are pleased to offer a new direct link between Dubai and Venice".

"Venice is a popular tourism destination and an important gateway in northern Italy for commerce. Our new service will contribute to Italy's many flourishing small and medium-sized businesses by providing increased access from Venice to other major cities around the globe via Dubai, and vice-versa. Our flights will also provide added capacity for the transportation of goods vital to Italian industries."

S.A.V.E. Venice Airport Chairman Enrico Marchi said: "Venice has long needed a non-stop connection to the Middle East, a region which is currently served only via European hubs.

We are really pleased to welcome Emirates to Venice airport, and we believe the new service will satisfy the existing demand and generate even more traffic into Venice from the Middle and Far East."