DUBAI, UAE, 17 February 2020: Emirates is celebrating a milestone in its operations to Saudi Arabia, marking 30 years of service to Riyadh.
Since the first Emirates flight between Riyadh and Dubai in February 1990, and the airline has carried over eight million passengers on the route, demonstrating the strong links between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Riyadh is one of Emirates’ key gateways in Saudi Arabia. The route began with two services a week using a Boeing 727 aircraft, and in 1997, the service was upgraded to the larger Boeing 777.
In 2009, the service became daily due to high demand. Demand progressively grew, and in 2011, the daily service was upgraded to twice daily, in 2012, then three daily flights and in 2013 four. Emirates currently serves one of its daily flights to Riyadh with its latest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with the ‘Game Changer’ First Class suites and another daily flight with its flagship A380.
Emirates senior vice president commercial operations Gulf, Middle East & Central Asia Adil Al Ghaith said: “We’ve operated a special one-off A380 service twice to Riyadh in celebration of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s National Day. We also showcased flagship Airbus A380 last year at the first-ever Saudi International Airshow, and we currently serve Riyadh with our ‘gamechanger’ Boeing 777-300ER and another daily flight with our iconic A380, which has proved very popular with customers.”
Emirates’ popular loyalty programme, Emirates Skywards, brings its 574,000 Saudi members value choice and flexibility, and the programme continues to expand in the Kingdom as passenger demand increases. Saudi travellers frequenting Dubai can accrue more Miles by downloading and using Skywards ‘Everyday’, a location-based app. It gives Emirates Skywards members the power to earn Skywards Miles anytime, every day at more than 1,000 retail, entertainment and dining outlets across the UAE and with over 250 international brands. Members can see their Skywards Miles racking up in real-time, which they can spend instantly on flights, upgrades and more.
Visit: www.emirates.com
