OREANDA-NEWS. Emirates, a global connector of people and places, launched its daily, non-stop service between Dubai and Boston today. Boston becomes the airline's eighth US destination and the 142th on its global network which links key tourism and trading destinations across six continents.

The inaugural flight EK237 departed from Terminal 3, Dubai International at 09:45 hours, carrying a delegation of senior airline executives including: Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline; Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer; Hubert Frach, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations West; and Hiran Perera, Emirates' Senior Vice President Cargo Planning and Freighters.

The VIP delegation departing Dubai - from left. 1. Hiran Perera, Emirates' Senior Vice President Cargo Planning and Freighters 2. Rahul Agarwal, Manager of Recruiting, McKinsey & Co. 3. Hubert Frach, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Commercial Operations West 4. His Excellency Mohammad Khamis Bin Harib Al Muhairi, Director General, The National Council of Tourism and Antiquities 5. Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline 6. His Excellency Abdulrahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber 7. Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Executive Vice President & Chief Operations Officer

Also travelling on the inaugural flight was a VIP delegation from the UAE including: His Excellency Abdulrahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber; His Excellency Mohammad Khamis Bin Harib Al Muhairi, Director General, The National Council of Tourism and Antiquities; Rahul Agarwal, Manager of Recruiting, McKinsey & Co; Chadi Chahine, Chief Financial Officer, Smith Nephew.

Emirates will operate daily flights between the two cities with a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft in a three-class configuration, offering eight seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 216 in Economy Class.

“We are extremely upbeat about our new Boston service. From the moment we first announced plans to connect Massachusetts to our global network, we have received a strong and positive response from travellers and our business customers - not only in the US, but also in our home market of the UAE, and other major cities Asia, Africa and the Middle East,” said Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline. “Emirates' inaugural flight today carries passengers from the UAE and 39 other destinations, illustrating the reach of our global network, and the potential tourism and trade opportunities of our daily service. We thank our friends in Boston and Massachusetts for the warm welcome and look forward to serving this exciting city and state.”

In addition to passengers, Emirates SkyCargo will operate bellyhold cargo space to help transport goods to and from Boston - such electronics, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, machine parts, leather products, consumer commodities, as well as New England's finest lobster. Emirates SkyCargo can carry up to 15 tonnes per day.

“Massachusetts is increasingly becoming more competitive in the commercial and economic landscape,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick commented. “Emirates' new Boston service will help the Commonwealth facilitate commerce and trade, allowing Massachusetts to be a strong force and have more access to a global market.”

More than 50 Boston-based companies operate in the UAE, and in excess of 150 companies have operations throughout Central Asia. Considered a centre for education and research, the region around Boston has more 270 colleges and universities, and each year as many as 44,000 foreign students call New England home during the school term.

One of the oldest cities in North America, Boston is also a popular tourist destination, with an abundance of cultural and historical landmarks.

“Boston is one of the leading U.S. destinations for foreign and domestic tourists, and currently opens its doors to nearly 12 million visitors a year. Today we are happy to extend a special welcome to those travelling with Emirates,” John Barros, Chief of Economic Development for the City of Boston, said. “Emirates' expansion into Boston underscores this city's stature as a global cultural and business hub and we foresee many benefits to this new partnership.”

Beginning today, EK237 will depart Dubai at 09:45 and arrive in Boston at 15:15. The return flight, EK238, will take off from Boston at 23:15 and land in Dubai at 19:30 the next day.

Emirates began passenger services to America in 2004 with the launch of daily non-stop flights from New York JFK to Dubai, and now offers daily flights to Washington, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.