Emirates Airlines is to make its South American debut on 1 October 2007 with six-a-week non-stop services from Dubai to Sao Paulo (Brazil). The 14-hour and 40-minute flight will be the first ever non-stop service between South America and the Middle East.
The new operation will affect alternative routings such as Frankfurt and Madrid, Heathrow offering very limited capacity to anywhere in South America.
On the route, Emirates will fly its brand new Boeing 777-200LR ” the first of its 10 on order, expected to be delivered this summer. It will offer eight, what are effectively luxurious private suites, in first class, 42 of its latest lie-flat seats in business class, and capacity for up 216 passengers in economy. The 777-200LR has up to 18 tonnes of cargo capacity.
Emirates airline and group chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said: "We have been looking to expand our operations in the Americas for some time, and we are delighted to be able to launch our first South American destination when we receive our first 777-200LR later this year.
"Sao Paulo is the commercial heart of Brazil and a key financial and industrial centre in Latin America; Dubai the Middle East's premium hub for business and tourism. We believe this new direct air link will stimulate more trade and tourism exchange between these two thriving economies, and we are confident our service would prove popular with both business and leisure travellers.
We look forward to introducing the exciting new destination of Brazil to our customers around the globe."