Dubai's national carrier Emirates launched its 11th destination in the US with the start of a daily nonstop passenger service between Dubai and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last week.

A VIP delegation and a contingent of international media were aboard the inaugural flight, which carried passengers from North America, the Far East, the Middle East, South Asia, the Asian subcontinent and Africa.

Fort Lauderdale is Emirates’ second destination in Florida, after launching Orlando more than a year ago. The new service, operated by a GE-powered Boeing 777, marks the first scheduled commercial service from the Middle East to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport serving the South Florida area of Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach.

“Our new daily service to Fort Lauderdale will significantly enhance South Florida’s commercial and cultural connections. Emirates is proud to connect people across the globe and today’s inaugural flight illustrates the reach of our global network and the potential tourism and trade opportunities of our daily service,” remarked Hubert Frach, Emirates divisional senior vice president, Commercial Operations, West.

“The launch of this historic route will allow us to offer Emirates’ unique product and award-winning service to passengers flying to and from South Florida to our home in Dubai and onwards to more than 150 global destinations,” stated Frach.

The new service will operate as flight EK213, departing from Dubai International Airport at 3.30am (local time) and arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) at 10.55 am the following day. On return, the flight EK214, will depart FLL at 8:20pm and arrive in Dubai at 7:40 pm the next day, with a flying time of 14 hours and 20 minutes.

The route will be operated by a GE-powered US-built Boeing 777-200LR aircraft in a three-class configuration offering 8 First Class suites, 42 Business Class lie-flat beds and 216 Economy Class seats for travellers, and up to 15 tonnes of bellyhold cargo for shippers.

"FLL is proud to welcome Emirates, one of the world’s premiere airlines to Broward County. This new service to Dubai, and ultimately to the rest of the world, will provide our community with tremendous business and travel opportunities," stated Mark Gale, the chief executive and director of aviation.
 
"With an estimated annual economic impact to our region of more than $100 million and approximately one thousand new jobs as a direct and indirect result of Emirates arrival, we are confident this new service will mark the beginning of many more great things to come," he noted.

Broward county mayor Barbara Sharief said the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the US, servicing more than 29 million passengers this year.

"We are proud to partner with Emirates as together we make history by offering the first non-stop flight service from South Florida to the Middle East and beyond. Broward County is a leading destination market for tourists and an economic hub for businesses large and small. We have recently invested $2.4 billion to expand and renovate our airport to insure world class service now and in the future," he added.-TradeArabia News Service