Delta Air Lines will touch down at Dubai International Airport tomorrow (June 1) evening with its first non-stop flight between Dubai and Atlanta.

Delta is the only US airline to operate between Dubai and the US, offering five weekly services from Dubai with hundreds of onward connecting opportunities offered via Delta’s Atlanta hub. 

 “We are excited to expand our global reach. This new route to Dubai  will not only serve to increase commerce and tourism between the Gulf and the United States, but will also provide our customers with convenient connections throughout the US, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Tony Charaf,  Delta’s senior vice president technical operations at a press conference in Dubai ahead of the flight’s arrival.

“Our new service will mean greater travel options for UAE business and leisure passengers flying beyond Atlanta along with providing multiple opportunities for freight forwarders and cargo shippers.  Delta is the only carrier to serve all 50 US states, and passengers can fly on to around 190 destinations including Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington and Orlando as well as international destinations such as Mexico City, Bermuda and Caracas (Venezuela).”

Commenting on the news of the new flight, Paul Sutphin, the United States Consul General in Dubai, said: “We are very enthusiastic about Delta’s new service. With over 500 US companies registered in Dubai and more than 26,000 US citizens living in the UAE, we are confident that this non-stop link to one of the America’s most dynamic commercial centres – as well as one of its most important travel hubs – will boost trade and tourism between the US and UAE.”

Mohammed Khamis bin Hareb, executive director, Operations and Marketing for the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: “The growth in trade and tourism between the two countries is extremely healthy.  Trade between the US and the UAE reached almost $12 billion last year.  Over the past 10 years the number of US visitors to Dubai per year has multiplied by 10 times. During the same period the number of US companies in Jebel Ali Free Zone has doubled to 227 and the whole world knows about Halliburton’s decision to open a head office here.”

Delta will operate the new service using Boeing 777-200ER aircraft seating up to 268 passengers and featuring Delta’s refurbished business and economy class service.

Customers can enjoy Delta’s award-winning BusinessElite service featuring all-leather sleeper seats with 152 cm of legroom, a 2x2x2 configuration which means there is never a middle seat, innovative food offerings designed by celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein, on-demand personal in-seat entertainment boasting more than 20 first-run and popular classic movies, a variety of TV programmes, a broad range of music, and a suite of 12 video games, he said.

Economy class customers also will benefit from new all-leather economy seats, amenity kits and enhanced food offerings. All flights will have Arabic speaking flight attendants on-board, said Hareb.

The new flight (DL8) will depart Atlanta at 21:10 and arrive in Dubai at 19:05 (next day) and the return flight (DL7) will leave Dubai at 22:45 and arrive in Atlanta at 05:40 (next day).

Describing Delta’s arrival in Dubai as a continuation of historical ties, Jamal Al Hai, chairman, Executive Board of Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, said:  “The service will translate into greater convenience and flexibility for the thousands of Americans who travel between the two countries each year including many US expatriates who consider the UAE their second home. According to current statistics, almost half a million people travelling to the US fly through or from Dubai and this number is expected to rise over the coming years. For an airline operating from destinations in the US, Dubai provides an opportunity to tap into<