Tourism / Aviation / Shipping

Emirates to launch daily service to Philippines’ Cebu and Clark

18 Jan 2016 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Emirates will launch a daily circular service from Dubai to Cebu (CEB) and Clark (CRK) in the Philippines, starting March 30. Utilising a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, this new route will strengthen international connectivity to two of the Philippines’ fastest-growing international hubs.

The island of Cebu lies in Visayas, one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines. Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located on Cebu’s Mactan Island, is the second busiest airport in the Philippines, after Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines and continues to evolve as a key hub for furniture-making, business processing services and heavy industry.

With Cebu and the surrounding islands’ rich tourism offering, which includes white sandy beaches and picturesque diving spots, central Visayas attracted a total of 1.6 million foreign tourists last year. Cebu is also an ideal base for exploring the nearby Chocolate Hills of Bohol and idyllic islands such as Boracay.
Clark is based in Pampanga, a province in the Central Luzon region in the Philippines and a well-known hub for business processing services and tourism. Pampanga is served by Clark International Airport, which is in the Clark Freeport Zone, a redevelopment of the former Clark Air Base, previously a United States Air Force base in the Philippines.

“With the opening of this service, Emirates will enhance the choice for travellers in the Philippines, who will be able to conveniently connect to 39 cities in Europe, 16 in the Middle East as well as a number of destinations across our extensive network in Africa and the Americas, including Panama from February 1,” said Emirates Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Thierry Antinori.

“This new service will help to enhance the Philippines’ trade links with the rest of the world and boost incoming tourism, supporting the Department of Tourism’s ‘Visit the Philippines Again 2016’ campaign. It will also expand travel options for Filipinos from the Central Luzon region as well as the Visayas region and offer more flexibility for overseas workers departing the Philippines or looking for options to fly home,” he added.

The two-class configured Boeing 777-300ER, which Emirates will operate on the route, offers 42 seats in Business Class and 386 seats in Economy Class. In terms of cargo, up to 14 tonnes of capacity will be offered in the bellyhold on this service. Popular Philippine exports on this route are expected to be perishables, such as dairy products, fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood and electronic equipment.

Emirates flights to Cebu and Clark will depart daily from Dubai as EK338 at 02:55hrs arriving at Mactan–Cebu International Airport at 15:50hrs. The service will then depart from Cebu at 17:25hrs and arrive at Clark International Airport at 18:45hrs. The return flight will depart Clark at 20:20hrs, arriving at Dubai International Airport at 01:25hrs the next day.

Passengers travelling on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER will be able to enjoy the airline’s award-winning ice system with more than 500 channels of on-demand entertainment to choose from, including Filipino movies and music.

Emirates flights to and from the Philippines also cater to the needs of the Filipino market with Filipino-speaking cabin crew on board and in-flight cuisine options with popular Filipino dishes. As with all Emirates flights, passengers travelling on the Cebu and Clark service will enjoy the generous Emirates baggage allowance of 30 kilogrammes in Economy Class and 40 kilogrammes in Business Class.

Brings A380 service to Washington, D.C.

Emirates has announced that it plans to upgrade its Dubai (DXB) - Washington D.C. (IAD) service, with the introduction of its flagship Airbus A380 on the route beginning 1st February.

Replacing the existing Boeing 777-300ER used on this route, the A380 will serve the strong customer demand and restore route capacity following United Airlines’ planned withdrawal from the Washington D.C. (IAD) - Dubai (DXB) route after 25th January 2016. The aircraft up gauge will also offer consumers travelling on the Washington, D.C. route the unique experience of Emirates’ flagship A380 aircraft, and a seamless Emirates A380 experience to many connecting destinations on the airline’s global network.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “Our service to Washington D.C. has been one of our most successful and profitable routes, with high demand across all cabin classes. Despite strong seat load factors, United has made the decision to withdraw from the route. The additional seats offered by our A380 will therefore restore capacity on the route, and ensure that American consumers and international travellers wishing to visit D.C. for business or leisure will continue to be served. We look forward to offering the award-winning Emirates A380 experience to our customers, and to continue contributing to the economic success of the city and its surrounding regions.”

On 8th December 2015, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe announced an investment of US$ 50 million into Washington Dulles International Airport – a move designed to make the airport more competitive. This funding is expected to help support direct and indirect jobs and encourage other airlines to enhance their services. Emirates’ current service and planned aircraft upgrade on its Dubai-Washington, D.C. route will help support this mandate.

With the launch of Emirates’ direct service from Dubai to Washington, D.C. back in September 2012, Emirates helped contribute US$ 130 million in annual spending by visitors to the U.S., created 2,787 U.S. jobs, added US$ 113 million to U.S. employee earnings, and resulted in an annual total economic output of US$ 326 million to the Washington,D.C. area.

Combined, Emirates’ current services to 10 U.S. cities help contribute US$ 1.9 billion in annual spending by visitors to the U.S., and support nearly 40,000 jobs.

Tourism / Aviation / Shipping

Emirates to launch daily service to Philippines’ Cebu and Clark

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