On the occasion of today’s visit by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, to Emirates Group HQ in Dubai, the airline announced: “Emirates is keen to expand its presence in Ireland and confirms that we plan to start a second daily service to Dublin later this year. We believe there is a growing demand for convenient air travel connections between Dublin to Dubai and onwards to our extensive network of over 135 global destinations. We look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders in Ireland to ensure the realisation of our plans for the double daily service to Dublin.” An Taoiseach joined Emirates’ President, Tim Clark, in Dubai today to mark the second anniversary of the airline’s operation in Dublin and discuss future business opportunities between Irish companies and Emirates.
Since Emirates’ inaugural flight from Dublin on 9th January 2012, the airline has connected over 442,000 passengers on its daily Dublin to Dubai route, carrying over 22,000 tonnes of cargo and supporting Irish exports including seafood, chocolates, beef and Botox. This comes at a time when it has been reported by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing that visitor numbers from Ireland to Dubai increased by 14% in 2013 when compared with 2012.
The official visit took place as part of the Irish Government Trade Mission to Gulf States where An Taoiseach was accompanied by a trade delegation of Irish businesses as well as the Irish Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Patrick Hennessy, and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovations, Richard Bruton TD. The trade delegation consisted of specialised aviation suppliers who attended a workshop hosted by Emirates to discuss future business opportunities. The trade delegation is also exploring further trade opportunities in Dubai with Ireland with several industries.
Emirates employs 442 Irish nationals and established a dedicated reservations office in Dublin in 2012.
