Adelaide receives a preview of Emirates

Adelaide was treated to its first taste of Emirates when one of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft made a flying visit to Adelaide Airport recently, ahead of start of services between the South Australia capital and Dubai in November.
More than 250 guests were hosted by Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ senior vice president, commercial operations Far East & Australasia, as they witnessed the aircraft’s arrival and the traditional water cannon salute.
The guests were welcomed on board the aircraft and experienced their first taste of Emirates’ renowned on-board product, including private suites in the only first class international service offering for South Australian travelers, lie-flat massage beds in business class, and spacious seating in Economy Class.
Passengers in all classes can enjoy Emirates’ award-winning ‘ice’ digital widescreen, the industry’s most sophisticated video and audio system, offering 1,400 channels of on-demand entertainment — the largest selection of programming in the sky.
“Emirates has long held ambitions to operate flights to Adelaide, so it is exciting to be here today as we look forward to the benefits that will flow from this launch, which includes publicizing ‘destination Adelaide’ across our ever expanding network,” said Obaidalla.
“In comparison to Australia’s other capital cities, Adelaide is underserved by international carriers, relative to its population size. When our service goes daily from February 1, it will mean nearly 5,000 additional international seats per week on the route, representing a 30 percent increase for the market, which will boost jobs and investment in South Australia’s tourism sector and with trade benefitting from the 14 tons of commercial cargo space on each flight,” added Obaidalla.
The service will carry more than 200,000 passengers per year between Adelaide and Dubai.
It will also open up Adelaide’s first direct flight links with the Middle East, leading to increased opportunities for local businesses and exporters.