Avis, a leading rental car company in the UAE, said it has entered into a five-year UAE-based chauffeur drive partnership with Emirates airline.

As per the deal, Avis will provide a fleet of high quality chauffeur driven vehicles for Emirates‘first and business class passengers.

All provided chauffeurs are multilingual and well trained in defensive driving techniques as well as various aspects of customer service, to ensure they meet the exacting standards of Emirates airline, said a senior official.

This agreement comes at a time when Dubai International Airport registered a 12.6 per cent increase in passenger traffic in July 2009, by handling a total of 3,768,965 passengers, the highest monthly growth-rate recorded since May 2008.

“This is a major milestone for us as we have been successful in retaining our contract with Emirates airline for the fifteenth consecutive year,” said Bilal Hamadeh, Group CEO of Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba Group.

'With a fleet size of 7,500 vehicles we are fully equipped to handle all the transportation requirements of Emirates airline.'

'As per the agreement, Avis will provide a total of 350 vehicles as part of the chauffeur drive services for Emirates’ first and business class passengers. All the vehicles being provided will be equipped with state of the art safety features.'

'Further, in order to ensure complete passenger safety and satisfaction, we regularly train our drivers in defensive driving courses and vital aspects of customer service,' he remarked.

Martin Tomlinson, Emirates' senior vice president Performance Development said: 'Avis has worked with the Emirates team for many years to successfully deliver a quality chauffeur drive service and we are pleased to be able to once again renew their contract.'

'Our intention is that the new contract will enable the Emirates-Avis team to continue to invest in this UAE-wide service, to ensure it remains absolutely world class and a valuable part of our customers' journey.'

'Emirates was one of the first airlines to introduce such value-added ground services for our premium customers to enhance their overall travel experience, and the service continues to be extremely popular.'

'The spacious and luxurious cars, emblazoned with the Emirates’ logo, have since become a familiar sight on UAE roads and we are delighted to be able to continue to provide this exceptional service to our customers,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service