Emirates has celebrated the opening its newest lounge at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome. The facility was built at a cost of Euro 2.53 million, and is open to first and business class customers, as well as platinum and gold members of the airline’s frequent flyer programme – Emirates Skyward.
Rome is the only destination in Italy that Emirates deploys its flagship A380 to (alongside the Boeing 777-300ER). According to the airline, growth has been strong with Emirates customers flying to and from Rome having increased by over 110 per cent in 2013 from 2009 figures. Therefore, the carrier believes that there is a need for a dedicated lounge facility at the Italian airport.
“We have seen passenger numbers grow steadily in the last five years,” said Mohammed H. Mattar, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president – airport services. “The need for an Emirates lounge has never been greater”.
The new lounge is located at Terminal 3, in the airside transit area (near passport control), and offers seating for 156 customers covering an indoor area of 920 sqm. It features an open buffet area that serves gourmet dishes, both from Italy and around the world, as well as a complimentary bar service.
Other services include a business centre, television and reading area, shower facilities, and a prayer room. Wifi connection is available throughout the facility, and the lounge is furnished with Italian marble floors, gold Rolex clocks, 156 leather armchairs and mahogany furniture.
In a media luncheon held in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Edwin Lau, Emirates’ vice president – Hong Kong and Taiwan told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific that the airline’s long-term strategy for its lounges is to continue to open up new dedicated facilities worldwide, and to develop a product that is consistent and immediately recognisable to any Emirates customer.
With the opening of the new lounge, Emirates now operates 35 dedicated lounges across its six-continent network, including six facilities in its home base in Dubai, as well as lone lounges in Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Birmingham, Brisbane, Colombo, Delhi, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, Melbourne, Milan, Munich, New York - JFK, Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Perth, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Zurich.
For more information, visit www.emirates.com
Clement Huang
