UAE-based Emirates (EK) will increase its Rome route to thrice-daily from November 1.
Ironically, Emirates is short of A380s so the Dubai carrier will send a three-class B777-300 on its third daily Dubai-Rome rotation before more A380s arrive at the airline.
The new service EK099 will depart Dubai daily at 0355 and arrive at Rome’s Fiumicino at 0735, in good time to make onward connections on Fiumicino’s vast European network.
The return service on EK100 will leave Rome at 1100 and arrive back in Dubai at 1935, also convenient for connecting onward on EK’s Asia-Pacific routes and, albeit with more restrictions, on the carrier’s services to the African continent.
The B777-300 used on the route features 12 first, 42 business and 260 economy class seats. Click here for a seat plan.
Interestingly, the move follows rival Etihad’s equity stake investment in struggling Italian flag carrier Alitalia and their joint announcement to deepen relations and add frequency between UAE capital Abu Dhabi and Rome.
Dominic Sebastian Lalk
