Passengers from around the world cross new Dubai-Prague bridge

2nd July 2010: Emirates lived up to its name as the international airline of the UAE after passengers from more than 20 countries joined its first flight to Prague. Travellers from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, South Korea - and as far a field as Australia - were amongst those on board yesterdays inaugural. The airline is providing the only daily, non-stop passenger service to Prague, capital of the Czech Republic and site of the famous Charles Bridge, straddling the Vltava River. Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline, who headed the Emirates delegation on the first flight, said: Prague is our second European route launch this year after Amsterdam on 1st May and our 103rd destination globally. The Czech Republic is a popular tourist destination and an exciting emerging market. The route is off to a good start with passengers joining the inaugural flight to Prague from more than 20 countries across the world, underscoring the hub role of Dubai and the boost this new link will provide to the Czech tourism industry. Mr Clark added: With a fleet of 149 aircraft including 11 A380s, we continue to drive forward with our expansion plans and more new routes are on the way. Madrid starts up 1st August and Dakar in Senegal begins a month after that. Also representing Emirates for the first flight were Richard Vaughan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide; Salem Obaidalla, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation; Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Ram Menen, Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo. They were joined by Brigadier Obaid Mehayer Bin Suroor, Deputy Director of Dubai Naturalisation & Residency department and members of the UAE media. After arriving at Ruzyne International Airport in Prague, the Emirates aircraft received a water cannon welcome, while a traditional Rosenka dance group performed on the tarmac. Amongst those welcoming the flight were Jaroslav Ludva, the Czech Ambassador to the UAE and Miroslav Dvorak, CEO of Prague Airport. Mr Dvorak said: The Emirates flight is the first scheduled all-year-round non-stop service to Dubai. It will enable Czechs to travel directly to the Middle East for the first time, whilst also linking passengers to a range of destinations in the Eastern hemisphere. Thanks to this network of connections, we are expecting a great deal of interest in flights to Dubai. Last night, more than 300 guests were invited to a special gala dinner at Pragues Municipal House where Michael Bolton headed up the entertainment. Guests also enjoyed New Yorks String Angels and the Czech National Symphonic Orchestra. EK 139 leaves Dubai daily at 1030hrs and arrives in Prague at 1450hrs. EK 140 departs from Prague at 1620hrs and gets into Dubai at 0010hrs the following day. An Airbus A330-200 aircraft is being deployed for the service, offering up to 278 seats across Business and Economy. Trade between the Czech Republic and the UAE has leapt from under USD 26 million (AED 95 million) in 1993 to USD 678 million (AED 2.4 billion) in 2008, according to the Czech Foreign Ministry. Nearly 30% of exports to the UAE are glass products including Czech-made Bohemian glass. Aside from glass, Czech exports include electrical equipment, jewellery, beverages, data processing devices, machine tools, cars and car parts. Emirates SkyCargo has served Prague until now by moving goods by road via Vienna. The new non-stop service provides extra capacity in the belly hold of the passenger flights, bringing more flexibility over the movement of goods. Speaking about the Czech Republic as a destination, John Felix, Senior Vice President, Emirates Holidays, said: As Emirates Airlines tour operating arm, the introduction of new routes helps us consolidate and continue to grow the variety of holidays we offer our customers. Europe is a key market for us and Prague is a stunning addition, popular amongst a wide range of tourists, and a gateway to the rest of central Europe. It’s therefore an exciting opportunity for our business and our customers in the Middle East.