Emirates Airline said on Wednesday it is investing further in Germany by upgrading the aircraft serving Munich, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.
The Airbus 340-300 currently deployed on one of Munich’s two daily flights, EK 051, will be replaced with a larger Boeing 777-300 from March 25, giving a 36 per cent boost to seat capacity.
Similarly, the A340-300 supporting one of the twice daily flights to Dusseldorf, EK 057, will be switched to a 777-300ER on June 1, a 36 per cent increase in the number of seats available, the Dubai carrier said in a statement.
The A330-200 serving one of Frankfurt’s three daily flights, EK 043, will also be upgraded to a 777-300ER from October 1, giving a 49 per cent boost in seat capacity.
The airline currently offers 63 flights a week to four gateways in Germany – Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.
The increase in services to Germany is part of a major push by Emirates in mainland Europe which also includes the launch of flights to Barcelona and Lisbon in July. It is also planning to add a third daily flight to Rome in October.
Saeed Khalifa Bin Suleiman, country manager for Emirates Airlines, said: “Germany is one of our most important markets so we are constantly seeking ways to enhance our services, while responding to solid demand.These aircraft upgrades will open up more seats to our customers travelling to and from Germany and further raise Emirates’ contribution to Germany’s tourism revenue.”
Last September, Emirates’ flights to Hamburg went double daily and in December the Frankfurt service became triple daily.
In November, Emirates became the first foreign carrier to offer a scheduled A380 service to Germany, deploying its flagship double-decker to Munich.
Emirates has a fleet of 171 aircraft flying to 122 destinations, generating more than 1200 departures each week from the airline’s exclusive Terminal 3 hub in Dubai.