Emirates has unveiled special liveries marking the UAE’s 50th anniversary on its Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ERs. The airline has also expanded their existing partnership with South Africa’s Airlink into a unilateral codeshare agreement.
On Monday (August 16, 2021), Emirates unveiled special aircraft liveries marking the UAE’s 50th anniversary. The bespoke liveries will adorn Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ERs with a bespoke ‘United Arab Emirates 50’ design in both Arabic and English marking the nation’s Golden Jubilee. The silhouette of the ‘50’ in the design includes dynamic and graceful lines, illustrating the layers of the country’s storied history. The first aircraft sporting the new livery, A6EVG, an Airbus A380-800, made its debut on a flight to Frankfurt earlier this week. Over the next month, more aircraft will be emblazoned with the bespoke design. The process of installing the decals takes on average three days and up to 14 staff at the Emirates Aircraft Appearance Centre.
In today’s announcement, Emirates Airline and Group Chairman and Chief Executive, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said,
“The Golden Jubilee themed aircraft are inspired by the vision, determination and passion of the UAE’s founding fathers and the incredible 50-year journey since they started to shape a nation that has captured the world’s imagination - from its rapid progress to become one of the most connected countries in the world, to being one of just a few nations to launch a space mission. The next 50 years will continue to be driven by the same ambitious spirit to build a better and sustainable future for humanity, and the UAE will lead the charge as it evolves its national capabilities, champions innovation, and strengthens its position as a progressive world leader across a spectrum of areas.”
In a separate August 16, 2021 press release, Emirates announced an expansion of their existing commercial partnership with Airlink of South Africa into a new unilateral codeshare agreement, which will give travelers to and from South Africa access to over 40 domestic and regional destinations across 12 African countries.
Speaking on the new codeshare agreement, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, Adnan Kazim, said,
“The expansion of the Emirates – Airlink partnership marks an important step forward in our relationship. Our new codeshare agreement enhances our service offering and flexibility for customers traveling beyond our gateways in South and Southern Africa and provides them unparalleled options for leisure destinations. We are committed to growing our operations in South Africa, and with the strong connection opportunities being provided collectively with Airlink we hope to help jumpstart the recovery of the local travel and tourism industry. Our codeshare partnership with Airlink complements the valuable relationship Emirates has with South African Airways, which we eagerly anticipate to restart once the airline is back in operation.”
Also commenting on the commercial partnership expansion, Airlink’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Rodger Foster, said,
“This exciting development is an overwhelming endorsement to Airlink. We are delighted, honoured, and privileged that Emirates Airline has chosen Airlink as its Southern Africa partner. Emirates serves all of our source markets and together we are able to provide vital air access throughout Airlink’s comprehensive network of destinations within Southern Africa, and provide much needed connectivity, linking Africa with the world and the world with Africa. The tourism and air transportation sectors have been hardest hit by the pandemic and the associated lockdowns and travel bans, and as the world gets vaccinated, we expect the pent-up travel demand will be realised, and more customers will want to visit the special destinations that Airlink offers services to.”
With the new codeshare, guests traveling to South Africa can now transfer from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban to domestic points including Bloemfontein, George, Upington, Nelspruit, Hoedspruit, Kimberley, Skukuza, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, Sishen, Mthatha and Port Elizabeth. Additionally, customers will enjoy seamless connections to destinations across Southern Africa such as Gaborone, Kasane, Vilanculos, Lubumbashi, Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Maseru, Antananarivo, Pemba, Tete, Maun, Victoria Falls, Walvis Bay, Maputo, Windhoek, Harare, Lusaka, Ndola, Bulawayo and Livingstone.
Source: Emirates
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