AVIATION

Emirates offers special April fare to Vienna

Emirates has announced a special limited-duration fare from Colombo to Vienna to celebrate the addition of six extra flights a week to the Austrian capital.

Valid for travel on Economy Class up to May 15, the special fare of Rs 115,000 inclusive of country taxes and surcharges will be available for purchase till April 30, the award-winning Dubai-based airline said.

Emirates is adding six extra flights to its daily service to Vienna from March 27. The additional flights operating all days except Thursday, will be served by an Airbus A340-500, offering 12 First Class Private Suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 204 seats in Economy. "This validity period for this special fare coincides with the school vacations and national New Year holidays in Sri Lanka, and provides a great opportunity to experience the City of Music," said Devika Ellepola, Emirates Sales Manager in Sri Lanka. "Vienna is an aspirational travel destination for many, and Emirates is happy to make a visit more affordable."

The special fare will be valid on Emirates flights EK125 and EK126 on all days they operate, with the exception of return flights (EK126) between April 13 and 22. All passengers on Emirates enjoy generous baggage allowances of 30kg, 40kg and 50 kg respectively on Economy, Business and First Class.

The addition of extra flights to Vienna is part of an overall strengthening of Emirates' operations in Northern Europe. The Airline has also announced a doubling of its flights to Hamburg from September 1, and the launch of services to Geneva from June 1 and to Copenhagen from August 1. The winner of more than 400 top aviation industry awards, Emirates operates 21 flights a week from Colombo to Dubai. The Emirates network now comprises of 111 destinations on six continents. For more information visit www.emirates.com/lk

Male to become Etihad destination

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced it will commence operations to Male, the capital city of the Republic of the Maldives, on November 1, subject to Government approval.

Etihad will operate a daily return service from its home base in Abu Dhabi to Male International Airport, operating Airbus A320 aircraft on the route, configured with two cabins and offering 1,904 seats each week.

Etihad Airways' Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said "Male is gateway to the premium leisure destination, the Maldive Islands, and given the strong increase in visitation numbers we are seeing in the market."

"We expect the services will appeal to UAE leisure travellers, as well as customers from our major European markets, particularly with the strong connectivity options on offer and following the additional frequencies that will come online on a number of our key European routes this summer," he said.