The bright lights and luxury shopping destination of Dubai is now closer than ever with Emirates recommencing daily direct flights from Adelaide to the Middle Eastern city.
The flights, the first of which touched down this week, is expected to drive a multi-million dollar tourism and trade boost for the state, better connecting SA with 140 destinations around the globe.
Being operated by a Boeing 777-200LR, each service will have 302 seats - 38 in business and 264 seats in economy.
Emirates EK440 will depart from Dubai at 2am and arrive in Adelaide at 8.50pm. Emirates’ return flight EK441 will depart from Adelaide at 10.35pm and arrive in Dubai at 5.15am. All times are local.
The flight schedule connects passengers with Emirates’ prime European arrival and departure times offering a seamless travel experience and optimal connections of less than four hours.
The move is expected to generate more than $62 million per year in tourism expenditure and create more than 315 full-time equivalent tourism-related jobs for South Australians.
Each flight will also offer 14 tonnes of cargo space, totalling 196 tonnes weekly between Dubai and Adelaide. The value of freight exports is estimated to be $98 million per year.
The airline first launched its Adelaide services in 2012 and carried more than 165,000 passengers between Dubai and Adelaide in 2019. The service ceased in March 2020 soon after the declaration of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Emirates Executive Vice President of Passenger Sales and Country Management Nabil Sultan said Australia had been a priority market for the airline for almost three decades.
"The return of our Adelaide service reinforces our commitment to expanding our Australia network, which now offers 70 weekly services across five Australian cities," Mr Sultan said.
"We extend our gratitude to the South Australian Tourism Commission and Adelaide Airport in assisting our return to the city.
"The Emirates flights not only facilitate trade flows but allow us to provide South Australians with access to a world-class travel experience and seamless connectivity through our Dubai hub to more than 140 destinations around the world."
Adelaide Airport Managing Director Brenton Cox said the airport's customers would benefit from "Emirates' extensive global network, offering greater competition and customer choice".
"The service will also attract international visitors to Adelaide and be critical for our tourism economy, for trade and our broader economy, as well as opening up export opportunities for our local producers," Mr Cox said.
