Emirates to launch second daily flights to Houston and Los Angeles

Emirates, the Dubai-based international carrier, has underlined its commitment to the United States by announcing the launch of second daily flights to Los Angeles and Houston.

The award-winning airline, which recorded a significant increase in revenue for the Americas in 2009-10, will soon offer over 15,000 seats on 98 return flights per week to the United States.

Starting 31st October for Los Angeles and 1st November for Houston, Emirates will fly non-stop to both cities twice a day on Boeing 777 aircraft.  The services will provide the highest standards of passenger comfort, with luxurious private suites in First Class, lie-flat beds in Business Class and generously-sized Economy Class seats.

Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “Emirates has experienced very strong demand across all of its U.S. gateways this year, including very healthy premium and business traffic. We are delighted to meet this increased demand with the start of second daily services to both Houston and Los Angeles.”

Mr Clark continued: “The additional services will provide customers in the Middle East and Asia with even easier access to the largest cities in Texas and California, supporting the burgeoning business and leisure traffic between these markets and the United States.”

Emirates’ services play a significant role in supporting trade and tourism between the United Arab Emirates and America. Since the airline launched its first flight to New York in 2004, the value of trade between the two nations has almost tripled, reaching US$12.7 billion in the 12 months to June 2010.

The additional flights will provide further impetus to the U.A.E.’s strengthening trade relationship with the States, which saw US exports reach US$11.4billion this year – making the U.A.E. the largest consumer of American exports in the Middle East and North Africa.

Key imports from the United States include machinery, computer and electronic products, primary metal manufacturing, chemicals and transport equipment. Last month, Emirates ordered 30 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and placed a US$2.0 billion order for US-manufactured GE90-115B Engines to power the US-built aircraft, which will add to the airline’s fleet of 65 777-300ER and 777-200LR that are currently in service.

Over 750 US firms have set up offices in Dubai and 400,000 American business and leisure travellers visited the Emirate last year, a 23 per cent increase from 2007-08.

Home of the United States’ second largest exporter, Texas is a strategically important trade hub and a key centre of the nation’s oil industry. In 2009, Texan exports to the U.A.E. reached over $1.7 billion – representing export growth of over 192 per cent since 2002.

The second largest city in the U.S., Los Angeles is the world-renowned capital of the film industry and an important centre for culture and international trade. Other significant industries in L.A. include aerospace, agriculture, petroleum and tourism. California is the third largest US exporter to the UAE. Exports from California totalled US$1.2billion in 2009 – an increase of 338 percent since 2002.

Emirates currently flies nonstop to four U.S. cities: New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The airline will reinstate its flagship A380 aircraft on one of its double-daily JFK services from 31st October.

Emirates was the first carrier to launch non-stop operations from Dubai to both Houston, which started on 3rd December 2007; and Los Angeles, which began services on 26th October 2008.

The additional U.S. services come during a busy summer for the airline. Aside from the Boeing 777 order, FIFA World Cup sponsorship and new destination launches, Emirates further expanded its fleet with an order for 32 additional A380s at the Berlin Air Show in June. This order, valued at US$11.5 billion, adds to the 58 A380 aircraft previously ordered, 11 of which are currently in service.