Northstar

AIRLINES www.travelweeklyweb.com Emirates doubles services to Amsterdam SINGAPORE – Emirates, one of the world's fastest growing airlines, will serve Amsterdam with a second daily non-stop flight from December 4, 2013. The airline's Boeing 777-200LR aircraft will add capacity of more than 3,700 seats a week in both directions. The new daily service will complement Emirates' popular Airbus A380 flight to Amsterdam, which commenced last August, less than two years after the launch of the route with a Boeing 777. The second service will feature 266 seats in a three-class configuration-eight seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 216 in Economy Class. Flight EK149 will leave Dubai at 1610hrs to reach Amsterdam Amsterdam at 2040hrs. The return flight EK150 will depart Amsterdam at 2210hrs, and will arrive in Dubai at 0740hrs the next day. "Our decision to add another daily service to Amsterdam is a direct result of a surge in customer demand. The enhanced capacity and schedule will offer our customers more choice when travelling between Amsterdam and Dubai and onwards to a multitude of destinations in the Indian subcontinent, Africa, Far East and Australasia," said Hubert Frach, divisional senior vice-president, Commercial Operations West. "Emirates' value proposition to travellers is exceptionally appealing, with more access and connections through our perfectly located hub in Dubai, and unsurpassed standards of luxury and sophistication in air travel. Amsterdam has also proven to be a strong market for First Class and Business Class travel, so there is no doubt that growth remains a key objective for Emirates in the Netherlands," continued Frach. All classes of the Boeing 777-200LR aircraft will be equipped with Emirates' award-winning ice entertainment system with up to 1,500 channels of on-demand entertainment, including movies, television programmes, games, audio books and music from across the world. Adding to the airline's extensive product offering, customers travelling in all classes enjoy generous baggage allowances – 30 kilos in Economy Class, 40 in Business Class and 50 in First Class. Emirates has a fleet of 201 aircraft flying to 134 destinations in 76 countries and has a further 192 aircraft on order worth over US$71 billion. Vietnam's ancient capital gets new landing point HUE – Vietnam's transport authorities have announced the reopening of Phu Bai International Airport in Hue, Vietnam which will take place on September 20, 2013, two months ahead of its schedule. The airport closed its doors on March 20 for runway repairs and upgrades, estimated to cost US$23.5 million. National carrier Vietnam Airlines announced via its website that it will resume operations to Hue with three daily return flights from Ho Chi Minh City, and two daily return flights from Hanoi. The improvements on the Phu Bai International Airport are part of the government's plans to develop Hue and Vietnam's central coast as key tourism destinations. Six months were spent upgrading the airport's runway to allow it to receive larger aircraft. Once operational, the airport will be able to accommodate five million passengers per year. Located 15 kilometers from the city centre, Phu Bai Airport is the main gateway to Hue, Vietnam's ancient capital and the seat of power during the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty. Hue's well-preserved citadels, tombs and pagodas have been recognised by UNESCO and are among the country's top cultural attractions. The Indi spensable stry Rea TravelWeekly Asia – a cut above the rest and always close to you Bringing readers vital news, features, interviews and special reports every month, TravelWeekly Asia continues to inform and enlighten, placing you right in the middle of emerging trends and developments. For advertising information, please contact Kevin Ng • (65) 6521 9742 • kevin.ng@contineomedia.com 16 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | AUGUST 2013 Travel Indu d Feature Highlig ht Luxe defi finition finition Vol. 4 Issue 05 | May 2013 | www.trav elwe ekly web. com | Published by Trav el & Mee tings Group, Cont ineo Business $158 m budget illion tourism to boost in New Zealand New Zeala nd's Prime Minis Media S RWM to host US$7 Asian Title 50,0 00 Airlines Page 14 ter John AUCKLA Key anno uncing his ND – A plans for tourism budget the NZ$ sector, of NZ$ 158 millio 158 millio to boos next four n budget n has been years. 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