Edinburgh is gaining a daily air link to Dubai with a new Emirates service.
Year-round flights start on October 1 with the airline deploying a three-class Boeing 777-300ER on the route.
The announcement means that Edinburgh airport gains a fresh link with the Middle East ahead of the departure of Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi service.
Emirates will be joining Qatar Airways in operating a service to the Gulf from the Scottish capital.
The Emirates Boeing 777 will be configured with eight private suites in first class, 42 lie flat seats in business class and 304 seats in economy.
Edinburgh airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said: “The route enhances our connectivity to the Middle East and further afield as we access that long-haul network, giving us greater access and choice than ever before. It also back fills the departure of Etihad even before that service ceases.
“The service caters for leisure and business passengers, providing daily links for international tourism and trade opportunities both inbound and outbound, and will help our growth and international standing as a world class hub.”
Emirates’ divisional senior vice president Hubert Frach added: “We’re increasing our capacity to Scotland to meet growing demand, and by introducing a daily flight to Edinburgh, it will complement our current double daily flights between Dubai and Glasgow.
“Edinburgh is a very popular leisure and business destination, and the new service will offer our customers from across our global network, particularly from key inbound markets such as Asia and Australia, a direct option to the city via our Dubai hub.
“It will also be a more convenient point for travellers from the greater Edinburgh area, and beyond, such as Aberdeen and Dundee, to travel with Emirates to Dubai and onward to destinations across our network.”
VisitScotland chief executive Malcolm Roughhead welcomed the announcement and said: “This, alongside the recent news that Hainan Airlines will commence direct flights between Beijing and Edinburgh from 12 June, shows that international airlines have a strong commitment in investing in Scotland.
“The recently launched campaign, Scotland is Now, extends an invitation to visit, live, work, study and invest in Scotland and these investments will not only benefit Scots wishing to travel to Dubai for leisure or business but help increase inbound tourism from UAE, Australasia, China and further afield.”
Flight EK023 will depart Dubai daily at 0955hrs and arrive in Edinburgh at 1450hrs, while the return flight, EK024 will depart Edinburgh at 2015hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0640hrs the next morning.