UAE: Emirates A380 One-off Flight Lands In Islamabad

Emirates’ special one-off A380 Dubai-Islamabad flight takes off from Dubai on Sunday morning with celebrities, officials and journalists on board.

The airline’s iconic double-decker will make its inaugural arrival in Islamabad on a special flight EK2524/EK2525. It will be the first time that an A380 lands in Pakistan.

Emirates’ special one-off A380 flight landed in Islamabad on Sunday with celebrities, officials, diplomats and journalists on board.

Arrival of the airline’s iconic double-decker special flight EK2524/EK2525 to Islamabad also made history in Pakistan’s aviation as it was the first A380 ever landed in Pakistan.

The special flight, was joined by a VIP delegation led by Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Centre and Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, GMEI (Gulf, Middle East and Iran).

They were joined by His Excellency Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi, the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan and His Excellency Moazzam Ahmad Khan, Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE.

Also travelling on the flight as special guests were two Pakistani members of Emirates’ first ever team, Captain Fazle Ghani, the airline’s first Chief Pilot and Team Lead for Inaugural Operations and Captain Ejaz ul Haq, one of the pilots who operated the first ever Emirates flights from Dubai 33 years ago.

Two Emirates alumni pilots including Captain Ejazul Haq and Captain Fazle Ghani who operated the first ever Emirates flight from Dubai to Karachi on October 35, 1985 were also amongst the guests on board. Captain Ejazul Haq had operated the second Emirates flight from Dubai to Mumbai on the same day.

Though it was the one-off A380 flight between Dubai and Islamabad, the airline wants to make it a regular daily flight in future.

This is our special flight but we want to operate regular daily flight on A380 from Dubai to the new Islamabad airport which is fully equipped to receive the big aircraft, said Shaikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre, Emirates.

Speaking on board the A380, he said that negotiations with the authorities concerned in the Pakistan have already started in this regard. We are very hopeful that passengers on this sector would soon enjoy regular A380flights.

We came here to showcase our innovative products and will continue to work with authorities to realise our plans to increase capacity to all routes to Pakistan, he added.

The special A380 flight depart Dubai 8.15 am to arrive to arrive at the new plush Islamabad airport at 12.20 pm. The flight departed Islamabad at 1540hrs arriving in Dubai at 1745hrs on the same day.

Hamad Al Zaabi, UAE’s Ambassador to Pakistan who was also on board. It is a historical day for UAE and Pakistan. We operated the first flight to Pakistan and now brought the first A380 – the world’s largest aircraft – to Pakistan.

It reflects that we are building on our relations. We want to make it a daily flight and we are working on it.

Moazzam Ahmed Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE, who was amongst the special guests on board, said: It is a new chapter in the Pakistan-UAE relations.

Landing of the super jumbo in Pakistan would send positive message to business community and investors around the world that Pakistan is growing market.

He said that government of Pakistan is in discussion with the UAE authorities to finalise agreement to allow Emirates to operate A380 to Pakistan.

It is a win-win situation for both the countries. Emirates is very important to us as thousands of Pakistanis not only from UAE but from around the world use it to travel to and from Pakistan.

Speaking at the reception at Islamabad airport, Pakistan’s Aviation Minister General (retired) Naeem Khaled Lodhi said that it was a great day for Pakistan’s aviation history. “Now we have the airport which can receive all kind of aircraft and we will ask other countries as well to start flights to Islamabad.”

Regarding allowing Emirates’ A380 flights to Pakistan, he said that they were working on the plans keeping in interests of their national airlines. “We hope to reach the agreement soon,” he said.

Captian Fazle Ghani, 86, who operated the Emirates’ first flight to from Dubai to Karachi and Captain Ejazul Haq who operated the Emirates first flight from Dubai to Mumbai were especially honoured at the reception.

I am greatly honoured by the Emriates for remembering me, said Captain Ghani. He said he so proud to have the honour of operating Emirates’ first flight.

Captain Ejazul Haq who now lives in Islamabad said that he had served Emirates airline from 1987 to 2011. Emirates is always ahead of other airlines in future planning and adopting technology and equipment. I feel very proud to have worked for such a great airline, he said.

The Emirates A380 aircraft on this special one-off service is in a two-class configuration offering spacious seats in Economy Class and fully flat-bed seats in Business Class as well as Emirates’ popular Onboard Lounge.

Passengers in all classes enjoy free Wi-Fi to stay in touch with family and friends and Emirates’ multi-award winning ice inflight entertainment with up to 3,500 channels of movies, TV programmes, music and podcasts on the industry’s biggest personal screens in each class of travel.

Emirates and Pakistan have a shared history tracing back over 30 years when the airline’s flight landed in Karachi on 25 October 1985.

In the last three decades, Emirates has progressively expanded its operations and offering global connectivity and world-class services to Pakistan’s major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Sialkot and Multan.

Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme, offers its more than 400,000 Pakistani members’ exclusive privileges, including earning Skywards Miles when they fly on Emirates or partner airlines, or when they use the programme’s designated hotels, car rentals, financial, leisure and lifestyle partners.

Emirates currently has 104 A380s in service and 58 pending delivery, more than any airline globally. The airline also recently announced a US$ 16 billion (AED 58.7 billion) deal for 36 additional Airbus A380 aircraft.

There are about 400,000 Pakistani travellers who are part of the airline’s loyalty programme, the Emirates Skywards.

Shaikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre of Emirates, presented an Emirates aircraft model to Pakistan's minister and honoured the first Pakistani pilots of Emirates first flight to Pakistan in 1985: Captain Fazle Ghani and Captain Ejazul Haq.

The flight landed smoothly at 12:20pm (Pakistan time), with a round of applause and cheers from passengers. The flight gets a warm welcome at the new Islamabad International Airport as the first A380 plane to land there.

Anoushy Ashraf, a Pakistani social media influencer, said she is loving the "wonderful flight". "I hope this would turn into a regular daily flight," she said.

The A380 flight departs Dubai at 8am to arrive in Islamabad in 3 hours and 10 minutes. The flight will depart Islamabad at 3:40pm, and arrive in Dubai at 5:45pm on the same day.

Although the flight is a one-off, it is fully booked with commercial passengers, except for a small official delegation.

Captain Fazle Ghani, who operated the first Emirates flight to Pakistan in 1985, is on board as a special guest. He is now 86.

Among the guests on board is Captain Ejazul Haq, the second pilot to operate the first Emirates flight from Dubai to Mumbai on October 26, 1985.

Also on board are Pakistan's Ambassador to the UAE, Moazzam Ahmed Khan; Shaikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations Centre, and Raza Jafar, a prominent Pakistani businessman.

The airline said it wants to make this flight a regular daily service in the future.

“We are proud to bring our flagship A380 aircraft to Islamabad, and we look forward to showcasing our innovative products on-board this iconic aircraft with the signature Emirates service. While this is a special flight, we are very keen to launch a scheduled A380 service to Pakistan and will continue to work with authorities to realise these plans,” said Shaikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Centre of Emirates.

Shaikh Majid presents Emirates aircraft model to Pakistani minister

Shaikh Majid then honoured the first Pakistan pilots who operated the first Emirates flight from Dubai to Karachi, Captain Fazle Ghani abd captain Ejazul Haq.

Shaikh Majid then honours the first pakistan pilots who operated the first Emirates flight from Dubai to Karachi, Captain Fazle Ghani abd captain Ejazul Haq.

He says that he is greatly honored today. I am so happy that Emirates remembered me. I still cherish moments of Emirates first flight.

The Emirates A380 aircraft on this special one-off service is in a two-class configuration offering spacious seats in Economy Class and fully flat-bed seats in Business Class as well as Emirates' popular onboard lounge.


Tourism Observer

Emirates Skywards Marks 16 Years With Over 16 Million Members

Emirates Skywards, the award-winning frequent flyer programme of Emirates airline, marks its 16th year milestone with over 16 million members and the successful launch of new initiatives to enhance reward options for members.

Since the programme’s inception in 2000, Emirates Skywards members have redeemed a whopping 220 billion Miles on reward flights, hotels stays and exclusive access to the biggest events worldwide. The diversity of the programme’s partners and rewards are reflected in the airline’s global customer base and network spanning six continents and over 150 destinations.

More benefits
With a focus on customer satisfaction, Emirates Skywards continuously forms exclusive partnerships and introduces new initiatives to offer greater value, choice and flexibility to its members. Most recently, Emirates Skywards has introduced Cash+Miles – allowing flight redemption using a combination of cash and Skywards Miles. Members in all four tiers – Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum – can start redeeming flights with as little as 2,000 Miles. This popular new initiative instantly reduces the cost of the tickets and can be used on any Emirates flight across all classes, making any seat available to Emirates Skywards members.

To date, Emirates Skywards has 14 airline partners including strategic partnerships with Easyjet and Qantas, offering members access to one of the world’s largest networks of global travel destinations. The programme also has 24 hotel partner brands covering nearly 20,000 properties worldwide. This includes a collaboration with the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) programme which gives members double rewards through the ability to earn both Skywards Miles and Starpoints when they fly with Emirates or stay with Starwood.

Exclusive access
As part of Emirates airline’s numerous sponsorships in sports, arts and cultural events, members have also enjoyed front row access to some of the biggest world events including the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival.

Since January this year, over 12,000 tickets across 40 sporting events have been made available to members. The tickets offer access to world-class sports including events in rugby, tennis, baseball, horseracing and Formula 1®. However, football is the biggest draw for Emirates Skywards members. Emirates sponsors six top European clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Hamburger SV, SL Benfica, Arsenal, AC Milan, and in the last nine months, over 5,000 tickets were made available for Emirates Skywards members to watch their favourite teams play in the Spanish La Liga, Bundesliga, Portuguese Primeira Liga, FA Premier League, Lega Serie A, and Ligue 1.

Besides sports fans, Emirates Skywards also engages with artists worldwide. In 2010, it launched the annual design competition known today as Art of Travel. Each year, aspiring artists are invited to design the programme’s four membership cards, giving them a platform to showcase their talent on a global scale.

Emirates Skywards members also enjoy access to a global network of 39 Emirates lounges in major airports including six lounges at Dubai International Airport. Members are also given excess baggage allowance of up to 20kg. Please visit emirates.com/skywards for more information or to sign up as a member.

KUWAIT: Emirates Announces Codeshare Agreement With Alaska Airlines

Emirates today announced a new codeshare and lounge agreement with Alaska Airlines (AS).

Pending governmental approval, Emirates will begin marketing up to 300 daily Alaska Airlines flights, which will give customers the simplicity of purchasing connecting flights on both airlines using one reservation, and a seamless ticketing, check-in, boarding and baggage check experience during the entire journey. In addition, the new codeshare agreement will feature several other new benefits including reciprocal lounge access and priority boarding and check-in for elite fliers.

Greater Connection Choice Across the Combined Network
With two daily flights now departing from Dubai to Seattle, the enhanced codeshare agreement gives passengers easy connections to 49 cities including Honolulu, Denver, Las Vegas, Portland, Phoenix, Pullman, Sacramento, Spokane, Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks as well as Canadian destinations such as Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.

Business Class Lounge Access and Priority Check-in
In addition to the codeshare agreement, Emirates Skywards® Gold & Platinum members will soon have access to Alaska Airlines Board Room lounges in Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles any time they book an Emirates flight that connects with Alaska Airlines. Likewise, Alaska Airlines MVP® Gold and MVP® Gold 75K members will also enjoy access to Emirates Business Class lounges at Dubai. At a later date, Emirates and Alaska Airlines elite members will also enjoy reciprocal priority check-in and boarding at Dubai, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Redeeming Miles for Reward Travel
Since launching a frequent flier partnership in 2012, members of Emirates Skywards and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan have enjoyed earning and redeeming Miles for travel around the world.

“Passengers will appreciate the greater choice, improved connections and many added comforts and conveniences such as lounge access and priority check-in, as a result of our new codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines,” said Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline. “Alaska Airlines’ superior service and exceptional connectivity across the US and Canada, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, perfectly complements our global network and extends the range of travel options for both our customer bases.”

“Our new codeshare agreement gives customers connecting through our West Coast hubs seamless access to Emirates’ global network,” said Brad Tilden, Chief Executive Officer and President of Alaska Airlines. “As Seattle’s hometown airline, our partnership already connects 2,500 customers a week to Emirates and we expect that to increase as we streamline the travel experience for customers traveling between Alaska and Emirates. In addition, elite members of our Mileage Plan program will enjoy unique access to the stunning Emirates lounges at Dubai.”

Passengers on Emirates flights can enjoy over 2,000 free channels of films, TV shows, music, games and podcasts through ice, the airline’s multi-award winning in-flight entertainment system, regionally inspired gourmet cuisine and Emirates’ renowned inflight service from the airline’s multi-national cabin crew comprised of over 135 nationalities. Additionally, First Class and Business Class passengers can experience Emirates’ Chauffeur-drive service, available in over 70 cities worldwide.

Emirates Flights to Seattle
Flight EK 227 departs Dubai at 3:15 a.m., and arrives in Seattle at 6:55 a.m. while flight EK 229 departs Dubai at 9:35am and arrives in Seattle at 12:55pm.

Emirates first launched service to Seattle just over three years ago in March 2012 and has since flown more than 600,000 passengers on the route. On 7th July, Emirates announced its second daily service from Dubai to Seattle. This second Seattle flight, operated with a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, takes the number of weekly seats to Seattle to 4,340.

At Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Alaska Airlines operates from Concourses C, D, and N, with an easy tram ride to the Emirates gates at the South Satellite to ensure a quick connection between flights.

Explore More of the Americas with Emirates’ Pass
Emirates passengers looking to explore beyond the airline’s network of American destinations now have dozens of options with the Americas Pass.

With one combined ticket, travelers flying to any of Emirates’ 10 U.S. destinations can connect to more than 90 cities across America, Canada and Latin America through Emirates’ five partner airlines: Jet Blue, Alaska Airlines, Virgin America, WestJet Airlines and Porter Airlines.

Through Emirates local office or with the help of a travel agent, Emirates customers worldwide can now simply look at the destination list, browse a variety of options and select the best route to match their itineraries.

Emirates and the U.S.
Founded in 1985, Emirates is a global connector of people, places and economies. Based in Dubai, the airline’s global network serves 147 destinations in 79 countries across six continents. Its luxurious amenities, regionally inspired gourmet cuisine, award-winning in-flight entertainment system – ice – and unmatched hospitality provided by its iconic multilingual Cabin Crew have made Emirates one of the world’s most recognized airline brands.

Emirates has carried more than 11 million passengers on U.S. flights since launching services to New York in 2004. The airline currently serves 10 U.S. gateways – Orlando (MCO), Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Washington (IAD) and New York (JFK), as well as operating a trans-Atlantic route between JFK and Milan and a freighter service to Atlanta. Emirates SkyCargo transports up to 650 tons of U.S. exports each week – including auto parts from New York, apples and cherries from Seattle, and oil and gas equipment from Houston – stimulating trade and opening new markets for American businesses across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.