Emirates to Increase Flights to Houston and Los Angeles

Emirates will launch second daily flights to Los Angeles and Houston. Start at 31 October 2010 for Los Angeles and 1 November 2010 for Houston, Emirates will fly non-stop to both cities twice a day on Boeing 777 aircraft.

The airline, that 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.

Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said, “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, that 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.

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% increase from 2007-08.

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 31 October 2010.