Emirates is connecting global business and leisure travellers with it’s first-ever passenger service between Dubai and Miami. The airline celebrated the inaugural flight of its four times a week service when it touched down in Miami at 1100hrs local time yesterday.

Emirates flight EK213 was welcomed by Miami International Airport with a water cannon salute, and drew in an audience of passengers, aviation fans and guests. For the first flight, the airline operated its popular Boeing 777 Gamechanger, and on the ground, showcased the interiors of the aircraft to guests, featuring its highly popular First Class private suites. With floor to ceiling sliding doors and sleek design features inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Emirates’ First Class suites on the Gamechanger offer up to 40 square feet of personal space each, and ultra-modern design features.

The airline will subsequently operate its three-class Boeing 777-300ER on the route, featuring eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class for the four times a week service.

Along with Orlando, the new service to Miami provides an additional access point to and from Florida and expands Emirates’ US network to 12 destinations on over 70 weekly flights, providing more choice and convenient connections from the Emirates network to Southern Florida. It also links travellers from Miami, as well as Southern Florida, South America and the Caribbean to over 50 points across the Middle East, West Asia, Africa, Far East and the Indian Ocean Islands via Dubai.

“We are excited to welcome new Emirates flights to MIA as we expand business and leisure traveling options for Miami-Dade residents and visitors, connecting them with new cultures and growing economies,” says Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Opening our doors to new visitors from Dubai and adding to our growing list of worldwide destinations continues to consolidate MIA as a global travel hub.”

Essa Sulaiman Ahmed, Emirates’ Divisional Vice President, USA and Canada said: “We are thrilled to start our long-anticipated service between Dubai and Miami for travellers. We expect that the service will be popular with our customers who are seeking new experiences as countries like the UAE and US advance their vaccination drives and the world safely opens up for international travel.”

“With the greater access that the new Miami service provides, we expect it to generate high demand, enhancing business, cruising and leisure traffic and forging more economic and tourism ties between both cities and beyond. We are committed to growing our operations into the US in line with increasing air travel demand and would like to thank the authorities and our partners in Miami for their support and look forward to providing our unique product and award-winning service to travellers.”

“We proudly welcome Emirates to MIA, and we greatly look forward to welcoming their passengers from Dubai, the Middle East, and points across the globe,” Ralph Cutié, Miami International Airport Interim Director. “Emirates is without question one of the leading airlines in our industry, and Dubai has become one of the world’s most popular cities for leisure and business travel. As our local and connecting passengers continue returning to air travel, we are pleased to now offer them Emirates’ world-class service to Dubai.”

“Emirates’ first flight from Dubai to Miami is a true testament to Greater Miami’s positioning as a global gateway and world-class destination. As we safely reopen to international visitors, we’re excited to welcome the Emirates customer who is sure to appreciate our diverse cosmopolitan metropolis, surrounding waters and pristine beaches, and perfect year round weather,” said William D. Talbert III, CDME, President & CEO Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

To celebrate the new service, Emirates extended its signature onboard service to include specially crafted mocktails and cocktails on the airline’s food and beverage menu, and customers across all cabins enjoyed a zesty key lime pie dessert to round off their meal. To transform the inflight experience on the way to Miami, mood lighting was set to the signature red, white and blue US colours upon boarding and arrival. Customers in all classes enjoyed the 4,500 channels selection of on-demand entertainment on ice, including a Miami inspired musical playlist, as well as Wi-Fi and Live TV.

The new service will also add to the existing trade connections provided by Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, which has been operating passenger freighter services to Miami since October 2020. Emirates has been offering cargo capacity into and out of Miami facilitating exports of perishables, electronics and other components as well as e-commerce goods. Emirates SkyCargo has also in the past operated several charter flights on its Boeing 777 full freighter aircraft to transport champion horses from Miami to equestrian events around the world. Since 2019, Emirates SkyCargo has moved more than 7,700 tonnes of cargo in and out of Miami.

With the addition of Miami, Emirates now serves 12 gateways in the US including Boston, Chicago, New York (JFK and Newark), Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC and Orlando.

Flights to/from Miami will operate four times weekly on Emirates’ three-class Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates flight EK213 departs Dubai (DXB) at 03:10hrs, arriving in Miami (MIA) at 11:00hrs while the return flight EK214 departs Miami at 21:10 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 19:25 hrs the next day.

Miami: The coastal metropolis of Miami is one of the world’s most popular holiday spots, with a 35 mile stretch of beaches, extensive art galleries within trendy design districts, world-class hotels, a rich culinary and nightlife scene, and much more. It’s also a major transportation and business hub with the largest concentration of international banks in the US, and one of the largest and busiest cruise and cargo ports in the world, serving as a major gateway into the United States.

As international borders reopen and travel restrictions ease, Emirates continues to expand its network safely and sustainably. The airline has resumed passenger services to over 120 destinations and by the end of July, it will have recovered close to 90% of its pre-pandemic network.

Dubai: Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Health and safety: Keeping the health and wellbeing of its passengers as top priority, Emirates has introduced a comprehensive set of safety measures at every step of the customer journey. The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology and scaled up its digital verification capabilities to provide its customers even more opportunities to utilise the IATA Travel Pass this summer.

Travel assurance: Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services that address traveller needs during a dynamic time. Recently, the airline took its customer care initiatives further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, an extension of its multi-risk insurance cover, and helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status.