Dubai's national carrier Emirates has announced plans to launch daily service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, starting from December 15.

This will be Emirates’ 11th passenger route in the US which will serve the South Florida area, including Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach.

The airline will operate a GE-powered US-built Boeing 777-200LR aircraft in a three-class configuration on the route, offering 8 First Class suites, 42 Business Class lie-flat beds and 216 Economy Class seats for travellers, and up to 15 tonnes of bellyhold cargo for shippers.

“Fort Lauderdale and Miami are two of America’s most exciting destinations for leisure and business travel,” said Sir Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airline.

"Broward County and Dade County combined to host more than 25 million visitors last year, mainly from the United States and Latin America," he stated.

Emirates’ daily flight EK213 will depart Dubai (DXB) at 3am and arrive in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) at 10.25 am the next day. The return flight EK214 will depart FLL at 8.20pm and arrive in Dubai at 7.40pm the following day, with a flying time of 14 hours and 20 minutes.

“We anticipate our service will contribute to the economy of South Florida by bringing new travellers to the area from across our route network, at the same time offering greater competitive choice for consumers and new one-stop passenger and air cargo connectivity for the region to the global destinations that we serve. We launched our non-stop Dubai-Orlando service roughly a year ago and its strong performance encouraged us to select Fort Lauderdale as our 11th US destination,” said Clark.

“Broward County is honored that Emirates airline has selected FLL as their gateway to our vibrant and exciting destination,” said Marty Kiar, Broward County Mayor.

“This non-stop service will allow world travellers to experience our sun-drenched beaches to the majestic beauty of the Everglades and all the sensational attractions of a cosmopolitan area. Additionally, our residents can now explore the Middle East and the other 150 plus cities served by this world class airline,” stated Kiar.

US Travel Association president and chief executive Roger Dow said: "Amid seemingly endless airline consolidation and diminishing value for travellers, this new service from Emirates is a welcome development."

"When global airlines open new routes to US airports, providing supply where there is previously unmet demand, both flyers and local economies benefit enormously from higher customer service standards and the good, non-exportable jobs fueled by increased travel," observed Dow.

"We hope to see more of this type of service expansion, which provides a much-needed infusion of connectivity and healthy competition into our aviation market," he added.-TradeArabia News Service