Emirates Airline extends presence in Eastern Europe 

(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM)) Emirates Airline touched down in Warsaw today, marking the airline's first scheduled service to Poland and 129th international destination.

Emirates' daily flight to Warsaw, operated by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, is the first international service to offer a First Class product in Poland. With the UAE already the single largest Middle East trading partner in Poland, reaching nearly AED 1 billion per year, this new service is expected to further enhance economic links between the two countries.

Marking the importance of this Eastern European gateway the high profile delegation onboard the inaugural flight included; His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline '&' Group, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Sheibani, Director General of the Dubai Ruler's Court, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Undersecretary UAE Ministry of Economy, Hamed Buamim, Director General of Dubai Chamber of Commerce '&' Industry, Ambassador Adam Krzymowski, Polish Ambassador to the UAE, Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Executive Vice President Engineering and Operations, Ali Mubarak Al Soori, Emirates' Executive Vice President Chairman's Office, Facilities Management and Procurement and Logistics, Thierry Antinori, Emirates' Executive Vice President, Passenger Sales Worldwide, Boutros Boutros, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Corporate Communications, Richard Jewsbury, Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Europe and Russian Federation, Pradeep Kumar, Emirates' Senior Vice President Cargo Revenue Optimisation and Systems, along with other VIPs and a delegation from the UAE media.

"Today's launch is a significant one not only for Emirates but also for Poland. This new service will enable direct links into Poland, facilitating travel for tourists and traders from East Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Stimulating trade and driving demand for not only our services, but the new destination is an integral part of our growth strategy and we see Warsaw as an important part of this," said H.H. Sheikh Ahmed.

On touch down the VIP delegation was welcomed by; Ambassador Asim Mirza Ali Mohammed Al Rahma, UAE Ambassador to Poland, Micha? Marzec, the Director of Warsaw Chopin Airport, along with members of the local media.

"This is truly an important day and a great honor for Warsaw Chopin Airport to have an Emirates aircraft on our tarmac," said Micha? Marzec, Director of Warsaw Chopin Airport. "Emirates' presence in the region enhances our airport's prestige and importance as a regional hub. Passengers from Poland and Central Eastern Europe will benefit from the launch of the direct air services to Dubai as well as convenient onward travel to India, Asia, Australia and Africa." The strong bilateral trade relations between the UAE and Poland are evident in the large number of Polish businesses that operate within the UAE. With this new daily direct service from Dubai, trade between the two economies is expected to increase exponentially, aided by a convenient flight schedule and increased consumer awareness.

"With one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and a solid GDP, Poland is the perfect gateway to further extend our Eastern European operations. Tapping into markets like Poland, that are currently underserviced in terms of international capacity, has been a key driver for our success in the past and we are confident that Poland will be another example of this," added H.H. Sheikh Ahmed.

Emirates customers travelling from Warsaw will enjoy excellent flight connections across Emirates' network, encouraging further trade and tourism opportunities for the country's growing economy.

An enabler for trade, Emirates SkyCargo will offer an average of 210 tonnes of belly-hold capacity per week on the new service. Key exports from Poland include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and electronic products; while some of the main imports are machinery, sporting goods, medical equipment, electrical equipment and leather products.

Emirates' flight EK 179 will take-off daily from Dubai at 0730hrs and land in Warsaw at 1045hrs - served by a 237 seat Airbus A330-200 in a three-class configuration. The return flight EK180 will depart Warsaw at 1350hrs arriving in Dubai at 2215hrs the same day.

Extending the benefits of its Skywards frequent flyer programme passengers in Warsaw will also benefit from the airline's recent easyjet partnership, allowing redemption of Skywards Miles for flights on easyjet across Europe and North Africa.

Continuing its expansion, Emirates last week announced the launch of services to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) on 3rd June 2013. The next new route to launch in the airline's network will be Algiers on 1st March 2013.