Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Dec 03, 2002
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Dec 03, 2002 |
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Logistics
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Airlines Emirates launches Dubai-Kochi direct service Vimala Vasan
The Kerala Tourism Minister, Prof. K. V. Thomas, the Commercial Operations Director, Emirates, Mr Ghaith Al Ghaith, the Emirates General Manager, Nepal and India, Mr Nabil Sultan, at a function of the inaugural flight service of Emirates between Dubai and Kochi, in Kochi, on Monday.
ABU DHABI, Dec. 2 EMIRATES Airline today launched direct services to Kochi expanding its network in India to five destinations. Emirates' inaugural flight to Kochi early on Monday morning has opened up a direct route to Kerala, the airline said in a statement. The other destinations the airline caters to are Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. Mr Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates Commercial Operations Director, was welcomed at Kochi's Nedumbassery International Airport by an official delegation led by Prof K.V. Thomas, Kerala Minister of Tourism and Fisheries. Mr Al Ghaith said he would like to thank the Government for granting the airline rights to operate this new service, three times a week, between Kochi and Dubai. Prof Thomas congratulated Emirates for offering thrice weekly services to Dubai. "A lot of Keralites are settled in the Gulf and the service by Emirates will be a boon to the people of Kerala. Emirates will also help Kerala to become a popular tourist destination," he said. Emirates is currently operating a temporary office in Kochi and a permanent office will be opened shortly in the city which will be managed by Mr Pradeep Suvarna, Emirates' newly-appointed Sales Manager for Kerala. Emirates now flies three times a week, non-stop, between Dubai and Kochi, operating an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with a three-cabin service offering 18 first class, 42 business class and 183 economy class seats. The airline recently concluded a code-share agreement with Air India, giving its customers the opportunity to book seats on Emirates services between Dubai and Kochi. The new service to Kochi enhances the comprehensive network of online and offline destinations in the South for customers of the airline's air freight division, Emirates SkyCargo. Kochi exports mainly handicrafts, spices, fish and perishables while personal effects form the bulk of imports. Emirates SkyCargo operates a well-established bonded trucking system between Chennai and Hyderabad, plus Bangalore as an offline destination. Plans are on to include Kochi on the trucking network. Emirates Holidays, West Asia's leading tour operator which specialises in tailor-made trips, is offering holiday packages to Kerala, including breaks at spa resorts. Kochi is the 64th destination on the Emirates network, which covers 45 countries on four continents. The network will be further expanded next year when the airline starts services to Lagos on March 31 (subject to Government approval), Moscow on July 1 and Shanghai on August 2. Emirates is also planning to start operations to North America in 2003, with the delivery of the long-range Airbus A340-500 aircraft.
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