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Emirates, which has 20 years of flying to Kochi, has carried over 6.1 million passengers in the past two decades from the airline’s hub in Dubai.
The company operated over 23,000 flights catering to the large Malayali diaspora in the UAE, in addition to other global locations. Currently, the airline offers 14 weekly flights between Dubai and Kochi, which is a major tourist destination for inbound traffic.
To mark the milestone, the flight EK530 which arrived from Dubai received a water cannon salute from Cochin International Airport Limited on Friday.
When the international airline began operations to Kochi, back in 2002, the destination became the airline’s fifth gateway in India.
Mohammad Sarhan, Emirates Vice President-India & Nepal, said, “Today marks twenty years of a warm and prosperous relationship between Emirates and CIAL. As we complete two decades of serving our customers in Kochi, we look forward to welcoming more passengers onboard flying to and from Dubai and the rest of our vast network.”
“Our mission is to provide our customers with premium travel experiences and exceptional connectivity, wherever they may be travelling. This is why we continuously invest in our onboard products and services, and provide memorable travel experiences with regionally-inspired cuisine, celebrating Onam onboard during the festive season, and have Malayalam content onboard to suit the tastes of our customers. Our Malayalam-speaking crew on flights to Kochi also ensure our passengers feel at home when flying with us.”
Top destinations
Top international destinations for passengers from Kochi include UK cities London, Manchester and Birmingham, in addition to Dublin, Rome, Auckland, Toronto, and US cities Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Houston. Passengers travelling inbound into Kochi followed similar trends with the addition of Kuwait as one of the top feeder markets.
Dinesh Kumar C, Airport Director, Cochin International Airport Ltd said, “We wish to extend hearty congratulations to Emirates airline for completing 20 years of success in operation at CIAL. The partnership between CIAL and Emirates airline is prestigious and is beyond the individuals involved. Let us work together to achieve greater goals in the years to come.”
Freight division Skycargo
CIAL is also a major commercial airport for exports and Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has lifted over 125,000 tonnes of fresh produce, fresh flowers and spices since flights began, to destinations such as the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, USA and France. The popular cargo items uplifted by Emirates SkyCargo into Kochi are engineering goods, chemicals, electronics, perfumes and valuable items, topping more than 42,000 tonnes over the 20-year period.
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