Emirates
has touched down in Lyon, celebrating the international airline’s
third destination in France and fourth new European destination since
the start of 2012.
Serviced
by an Airbus 340-500 in three cabin classes, Emirates’ flights to
Lyon will offer a total of 258 seats including; 12 First Class
Suites, 42 seats in Business Class and 204 seats in Economy Class.
The addition of this new Emirates service will see an overall
capacity increase of 12 per cent in France, further boosting the
airline’s presence in this important international market.
“The
South East of France has been on our radar for some time. Lyon, as
the second largest metropolitan area in France, is a strategically
important market that is incredibly viable in terms of potential
traffic flows through to our vast network of 49 destinations in the
East, including ten points in India. We are confident that our new
service will provide much needed capacity to the city’s thriving
commercial centre, one of the largest economies in Europe,” said
Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President Passenger
Sales Worldwide.
Feeding
the underserviced Lyon region, Emirates is the first international
carrier to provide direct services from Lyon to Dubai as well as key
commercial hubs in the East, an important link for facilitating new
trade opportunities. Business traffic to and from Lyon is expected to
have a strong tie to the city’s banking, pharmaceutical and biotech
industries which have helped to make the Rhone-Alps region, which
Lyon is the capital of, the sixth largest economy in Europe.
For
the leisure traveller, Emirates’ new flight to Lyon opens the doors
to the city’s highly lauded culinary delights. A significant number
of Michelin starred restaurants are housed in Lyon, testament to the
city’s moniker as the ‘food capital of the world’.
Emirates’
presence in France has grown considerably this year with a capacity
increase in Nice due to the introduction to a Boeing 777-300 and
Paris Charles De Gaulle preparing for a double daily A380 service
from January 1st 2013.
Emirates
passengers in Lyon will also benefit from the airline’s recently
launched frequent flyer partnership with easyJet that allows Skywards
Miles to be redeemed for flights on easyJet across Europe.
Emirates
flight EK81 departs Dubai every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
and Saturday at 1455hrs, arriving in Lyon at 1940hrs the same day.
The return journey leaves Lyon at 2100hrs and arrives in Dubai at
0615hrs the next day.
Emirates
passengers travelling in both directions will benefit from the
airline’s generous baggage allowance of 50kg in First Class, 40kg
in Business Class and 30kg in Economy Class. Passengers will also
enjoy the on-board ice system with over 500 channels of on-demand
entertainment in all classes.
