Emirates announces sponsorship of UAE Rugby association

   Reinforcing its commitment to rugby Emirates- the Worldwide Partner of the 2011 Rugby World Cup - has today signed a sponsorship agreement with the UAE Rugby Association (UAERA), becoming the Official Airline of the association and its National teams.

The agreement will span five years and will see the Emirates logo proudly displayed on players’ shirts across the league, making its international debut on 23rd April when the UAE’s National team take on Sri Lanka in the 2011 Asian 5 Nations tournament.

    Emirates has today signed a sponsorship agreement with the UAE Rugby Association (UAERA), becoming the Official Airline of the association and its National teams. From left to right, David Vittes, Mohannad Shaker, Mike Cox-Hill (Captain), Sean Hurley and Cyrus Homayoun

Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran (left) and Mohammad Abdulrahman Falaknaz, UAERA Chairman, pictured with some of the UAERA’s National teams’ players

Emirates’ agreement with UAERA will span five years and will see the Emirates logo proudly displayed on players’ shirts across the league

   Emirates has been the driving force behind some of the UAE’s most popular rugby events, most notably the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens that has been a resounding success since inception in 1987.

“Emirates has a strong affiliation with rugby both in the UAE and around the globe and our sponsorship of UAERA is an excellent way of reinforcing our passion for the sport,” said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran. “The popularity of rugby in the UAE continues to grow each year and it is our intention that this sponsorship further stimulate the development of rugby in the emirates.”

   Already popular with the UAE western expatriate community, rugby is also gaining a strong and loyal following from the local population, with a number of UAE National players currently part of the UAERA league.

   “The UAERA is very proud to have secured Emirates as the Official Airline of the UAERA. Emirates are an undisputed leader in the sports-sponsorship arena, and this agreement offers a strong statement of belief and support in our focus and the future direction of rugby in the UAE,” said UAERA Chairman Mohammad Abdulrahman Falaknaz. “We look forward to working closely with Emirates in our collective goal to grow the game beyond its current level well into the future.”

   Emirates’ commitment to rugby will come to the fore this September as Worldwide Partner of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, to be held in New Zealand.

   

   The airline has rugby sponsorships around the globe including partnerships with the IRB (International Rugby Board), USA Rugby and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Emirates is also the Official Sponsor of the UK’s Rugby Football League, Super League and the England Rugby League Team.

Time fast approaching for Emirates' Geneva launch

    Emirates has given a new meaning to the expression 'Time flies' with its plans to launch flights to the "birthplace of watch making" - now just eight weeks away.

Geneva will be added to the airline's European route network from 1st June. Last night, more than 600 guests from the travel industry and the city's wider business community attended a high profile road show event in Geneva as an introduction to the airline and its home of Dubai.

   For many, it provided an opportunity to get close up to the airline's flagship A380 aircraft, which has already carried more than 4 million Emirates passengers around the world.
    A First Class Private Suite was also on show at the city's Palexpo for guests to sink into, as were life-size replicas of the Onboard Shower Spa and Onboard Lounge.

   Guests at the Emirates Road Show event at Geneva Palexpo next to the life-sized replica of the airline's A380 Onboard Shower Spa. More than 600 guests attended the event, promoting the launch of passenger services between Dubai and Geneva on 1st June. Also on display at last night's function were an Emirates' A380 First Class Private Suite and Onboard Lounge.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Worldwide, on stage with cabin crew during the Emirates' Road Show event at Geneva Palexpo last night. The airline will launch a daily flight to Geneva from 1st June.

Food from across the world at Emirates' Road Show event at Geneva Palexpo last night, ahead of the launch of the airline's Dubai-Geneva service from 1st June.

  The Dubai-Geneva service will be operated by a combination of Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The aircraft will be arranged in a three-class configuration, offering First Class Private Suites, lie-flat seats in Business Class, and a spacious cabin in Economy Class.

Throughout all cabin classes, passengers can enjoy the latest version of the airline's much admired ice in-flight entertainment system. It offers a staggering array of over 1,200 channels, making time fly like never before whilst at 40,000 feet.

   Geneva is sometimes referred to as the "birthplace of watch making" as the industry dates to the mid 16th century in the city. Even in 1790, Geneva was exporting more than 60,000 watches a year. In 2010, Swiss watch manufacturers exported more than 26 million finished watches, according to the Federation of the         Swiss Watch Industry.

   The luxury sector, including watch making, is amongst the top three employers in the Geneva region, representing 60% of its exports.

   Each Emirates' 777 aircraft serving Geneva will have 15-20 tonnes of cargo capacity - space for plenty of luxury watches, along with high-end fashion goods, diplomatic cargo, relief shipments for the International Red Cross, pharmaceutical products and electronics.

   "Geneva is our second gateway into Switzerland after Zurich. We see strong demand for both leisure and business travel, bearing in mind the presence of hundreds of international organisations and Geneva's status as a major financial centre," said Richard Vaughan, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide.

   "We're just eight weeks out from the launch and last night's road show event helps drive awareness throughout the travel trade about the new flights and the additional cargo capacity they offer in and out of Switzerland," Mr Vaughan added.

   As with Zurich, passengers flying Emirates from Geneva can travel non-stop to Dubai, where they are able to connect to an impressive network of destinations throughout the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, Africa, the Far East and Australasia.

   Starting 1st June 2011, EK 089 will leave Dubai daily at 0855hrs and arrive in Geneva at 1345hrs. From Geneva, EK 090 departs at 1515hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2330hrs.

Geneva will become the airline's 26th destination in Europe and 112th point globally. On 1st August, Emirates launches flights to Copenhagen, its first passenger service into Scandinavia.

Emirates signs $2.2 billion TotalCare® deal with Rolls-Royce

   Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has signed a TotalCare® long term services contract valued a $2.2 billion with Emirates, covering Trent engines for 70 Airbus A350XWB aircraft. This contract brings the airline’s entire Rolls-Royce powered fleet of 128 aircraft under TotalCare® arrangements.
“Emirates’ 70 A350 aircraft on order will play an important role in our growth when they come online in the next few years. This TotalCare® contract with Rolls-Royce is an important step in ensuring our A350 XWB engine's life cycle cost is managed effectively and maintained at the highest standards. Already current users of TotalCare®, we look forward to maintaining this relationship with Rolls-Royce to drive additional operational improvements,” said Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline.

    “We are delighted to sign this contract with Emirates, a valued customer with three Trent engine family members already in service. With this contract all of Emirates’ Rolls-Royce powered fleet are, or will be, supported by TotalCare® packages that add significant value and allow customers optimize their operations,”said  Mark King, Rolls-Royce President – Civil Aerospace.
   TotalCare® long-term service agreements, in place on 90 per cent of all Trent engines, are designed to minimise customer financial risk and enhance operational performance and reliability, allowing operators to concentrate on their core business.
   The new TotalCare® contract for Trent XWB engines comes two months after Rolls-Royce won a $1.2bn TotalCare® contract for Trent 700 engines powering 27 Airbus A330s and Trent 800 engines powering 21 Boeing 777s.