Dubai-based carrier Emirates has announced a fifth frequency on its Dubai-Rio de Janeiro route, starting 7 December 2024.
The additional weekly flight on Saturdays will provide increased capacity on its service to the Brazilian city.
Additionally, the linked service allows travellers to conveniently travel onwards to Buenos Aires, the capital Argentina.
The additional weekly frequency between Dubai, Brazil and Argentina will operate as EK247 and EK248 in a two-class configuration.
The schedule of EK247 and EK248 is as follows:
| Flight | Departure | Arrival |
| EK247 (DXB/GIG) | 08:05 | 15:55 |
| EK247 (GIG/EZE) | 17:30 | 20:55 |
| EK248 (EZE/GIG) | 22:30 | 01:15 (next day) |
| EK248 (GIG/DXB) | 02:55 | 00:30 (next day) |
The added flights to be deployed in December will offer 302 seats on each flight in economy and business class. Business class passengers travelling between Rio de Janeiro and Dubai can enjoy complimentary chauffeur drive services before departure and on arrival in both cities, and access to the Emirates Lounge in Dubai.
While the enhanced services to Brazil and Argentina are expected to facilitate additional connectivity for passengers travelling between these countries and other popular destinations in across Emirates’ network, it might especially be a boon to customers travelling to and from Beirut. Brazil and Argentina are home to the two largest Lebanese communities in Latin America.
Furthermore, Brazilian and Argentinian nationals can avail of visa-free travel to Dubai, making it a popular and accessible destination for them.
Top inbound markets for tourism into Brazil and Argentina include mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Russia, and the UAE.
Each Boeing 777 widebody aircraft will also accommodate a cargo capacity of around 20 tons per flight.
Emirates’ codeshare partnerships with GOL Airlines and Azul Airlines and interline partnerships with LATAM Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas allow its customers to fly beyond Rio de Janeiro, to an expansive network of domestic points Brasilia, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Curitiba, Recife, as well as regional cities Santiago and Panama City.
Skywards members have the opportunity to earn and redeem Skywards Miles on codeshare flights in Brazil and South America.
Earlier this month, Emirates and Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras S.A (Azul) launched a reciprocal loyalty programme. Emirates Skywards and TudoAzul frequent flyer members can now earn and redeem Miles across a joint network of more than 290 destinations worldwide. The codeshare agreement with Emirates and Azul allows customers to connect to and from Rio de Janeiro, Santos Dumont, Belem, Belo Horizonte, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Juazeiro Do Norte, Porto Alegre and Recife airports on flights operated by Azul to Emirates flights from Sao Paulo to Dubai and beyond with a single ticket.
