Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, today announced that from 3 August, it will step up its frequencies from Dubai to Guangzhou to twice weekly from the current once a week service, operated with its flagship A380 aircraft. This added frequency will further help meet the growing customer demand on the back of gradually-eased travel protocols in China, and the rest of the world.

In 2002, Emirates became the first airline in the region to launch a non-stop connectivity between the Middle East and the Chinese mainland. Two years ago, due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, its passenger service to the Chinese mainland was halted for a short period from late March 2020 in support of pandemic prevention policies. The service between Dubai and Guangzhou was restored on 25 July 2020 and has since operated once a week.

In addition to the current weekly service from Dubai to Guangzhou on Saturdays, Emirates will operate a second weekly service on Wednesdays. This added frequency will ensure the number of seats available on Emirates’ Dubai-Guangzhou service will total more than 1,800 a week, making it the largest carrier on the non-stop route between UAE and China in the post-pandemic era. The capacity of all inbound flights from Dubai to Guangzhou remains capped at 75%, as required by the Chinese authorities.

From 3 August, Emirates flight EK362 from Dubai to Guangzhou will depart Dubai International Airport T3 at 02:05 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, arriving at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 13:50 on the same day. The return flight EK363 will depart from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport at 17:50 on Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrive at Dubai International Airport at 00:45 the following day (all times are local).

The Dubai-Guangzhou route is operated by Emirates’ highly acclaimed three-class A380 offering 14 First Class private suites, 76 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 426 spacious seats in Economy Class. As well as its signature hospitality and spacious and comfortable seats, Emirates also offers customers an unmatched culinary experience in the skies with regionally inspired multi-course menus, developed by a team of award-winning chefs and complemented by a wide selection of premium beverages. Customers can sit back and relax with more than 5,000 channels of carefully curated global entertainment content featuring movies, shows, music, podcasts, and including channels in 40 languages including Chinese and more with ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system. The Emirates A380 remains a fan-favourite, with the double-decker now deployed to over 30 cities across the airline’s global network, offering more customers the opportunity to enjoy the superior quality and comfort provided by Emirates’ flagship A380.

Emirates’ network has been restored to 130 destinations across six continents. Chinese passengers can connect conveniently to and from popular destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and South America via Dubai. Known for its eclectic mix of offerings, Dubai offers stays at some of the world’s best hotels, sightseeing at the newest landmarks the city has to offer, among an abundance of other activities. Chinese passengers visiting Dubai or transiting in Dubai with an ordinary passport valid for above six months will be eligible for visa-free entry.

During the pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo continued to connect China to the rest of the world via its Dubai hub and provide support for the transport of medical and life essentials, and for cargo transport necessary for business and trade exchanges. At present, in addition to passenger services to and from Guangzhou, Emirates also operates cargo flights between Dubai and Beijing twice a week, six times a week to Shanghai and four times a week to Guangzhou, all operated with Boeing 777 freighters.