Emirates rolls out Premium Economy to more cities

Emirates will continue rolling out its retrofitted Boeing 777 and new A350 aircraft to  destinations across Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia, bringing Premium Economy and its latest onboard products to more cities across its network. The airline will deploy its A350 on new daily services to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town, adding an extra frequency and offering customers greater connectivity alongside an elevated onboard experience. Additional frequencies to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town will complement existing schedules and provide much-needed capacity to meet the anticipated surge in summer travel demand. From 1 June, a second daily service will be introduced between Dubai and Copenhagen; a third daily service between Dubai and Phuket and a third daily to/from Cape Town will come into effect from 1 July. All three services will be operated with the airline’s latest A350 aircraft, featuring its award-winning Premium Economy, in addition to the latest Business and Economy Class cabins. From 1 June, Emirates’ flight EK153 will depart Dubai to Copenhagen at 14:50hrs, arriving at 19:45hrs. The return flight, EK154, will depart Copenhagen at 21:35hrs, arriving in Dubai at 5:55hrs the following day. The new service is optimally timed to provide seamless connections from Copenhagen to popular destinations via Dubai, to East Asia including, Bangkok, Bali, Manila, Tokyo Haneda and Phuket as well as convenient links to Colombo and Male. In addition, the service introduces new connections to key African cities such as Nairobi and Entebbe. Passengers travelling from key global cities, such as Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Delhi and Bangalore will also benefit from the additional frequency to the Danish capital, with convenient onward connection times through Dubai. From 1 July, Emirates’ flight EK390 will depart Dubai to Phuket at 22:40hrs, arriving at 08:10hrs the following day. The return flight, EK391, will depart Phuket at 10:00hrs, arriving in Dubai at 13:05hrs. Travellers will benefit from additional travel options to the popular resort destination, which offers an early morning arrival ideal for those connecting from Europe including Manchester, Amsterdam, London, Paris and Frankfurt as well as Kuwait and Bahrain via Dubai. The new flight will also provide convenient onward connection times from Phuket to key gateways across Europe and the Middle East, including Madrid, Munich, Birmingham, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Edinburgh, Zurich and Amman. On 1 July EK778 departing Dubai at 10:25hrs, arriving in Cape Town at 18:05hrs; the return flight, EK779, will depart Cape Town at 20:00hrs and arrive in Dubai at 07:25hrs the following morning. The third frequency offers travel options with optimised connections from/to London, Dublin, Mumbai, Brussels, Australasia and key Asian markets, serving both leisure and corporate travel demand. Planned Premium Economy route expansions Europe & North America Barcelona and Mexico City: Emirates will operate its EK187/188 service with a retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from 1 February. EK255/256, the linked service between Barcelona and Mexico City, will operate with a Premium Economy retrofitted three class Boeing 777-200LR daily from 15 February* onwards. Rome: The EK099/100 daily service will operate with A350 aircraft from 29 March. Copenhagen: Addition of a second daily service from 1 June with an Emirates A350, as EK153/154. Asia Cochin: From 29 January, two of the seven-weekly services (Thursday and Sunday) on EK530/531 between Dubai and Cochin will operate with a retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR. Karachi: Starting 1 March, Emirates’ retrofitted three-class Boeing 777-200LR will begin operating daily on EK606/607. Taipei: Emirates will operate its retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR on the EK386/387 daily service from 15 March* until 30 April and, from 1 May onwards, those services will operate with the airline’s A350 aircraft. Phuket: A third daily service between Dubai and Phuket will come into effect from 1 July on EK 390/391. Australia Brisbane: From 29 March, daily flights on EK430/431 will be operated by a retrofitted four-class Boeing 777-300ER, joining the A380 retrofitted service introduced last year. Africa Addis Ababa: From 1 March, the retrofitted 3-class Boeing 777-200LR will operate daily on EK723/724. Cape Town: A third daily flight on the Dubai-Cape Town route, announced at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, will now operate with a next-gen Emirates A350 from 1 July 2026. Middle East Basra: The Thursday service on EK947/948 will transition to a retrofitted four-class Boeing 777-300ER from 29 January. Kuwait City: The EK859/860 daily service between Dubai and Kuwait City will operate with a retrofitted Boeing 777 from 1 February until 30 April and from 1 May onwards the service will operate with an Emirates A350. Tehran: Effective 29 March, the retrofitted B777 in a four-class configuration will operate daily flights on EK979/980. Etihad Airways adding first route to Luxembourg Etihad Airways has announced the launch of flights to Luxembourg, marking a historic milestone as the first airline from the Middle East to serve the country. When services commence on 29 October 2026, Etihad will also become the only airline offering nonstop flights between Luxembourg and Abu Dhabi, creating a new direct air link between two important European and Middle Eastern centres. The new route reflects growing demand from travellers across Luxembourg, the Benelux region, France and Germany for direct access to Abu Dhabi. Services will operate to Luxembourg Airport (LUX), providing guests with direct access to the beautiful emirate of Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s vibrant capital and a gateway to Arabian culture, world-class hospitality, and year-round sunshine. Flights will operate three times weekly using Etihad’s state-of-the-art A321LR, offering guests the most premium direct travel option between Luxembourg and the UAE. The A321LR features the airline’s acclaimed three-class cabin, including First Suites and lie-flat Business seats all with direct aisle access, delivering elevated comfort, privacy and Etihad’s renowned hospitality throughout. Next-generation Economy seats feature generous legroom, 4K touchscreen TVs and Bluetooth pairing; all complemented by high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the aircraft. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “We are delighted to announce this landmark route, made possible by the launch of the A321LR last year. This incredible aircraft brings our guests a truly premium experience while allowing us to cater to markets which may otherwise be unserved. For the first time, Luxembourg will be directly connected to the Middle East, with Etihad as the only airline offering a nonstop link to Abu Dhabi. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]