Emirates delivers Newcastle upgrade

The addition of the longest aircraft to have ever operated out of Newcastle Airport will deliver more than 2,000 extra seats a week to and from Newcastle, representing a capacity increase of more than 50 per cent. 

The introduction of Emirates’ Boeing 777 will also mean an upgraded service for customers, including the award winning ice entertainment system with a choice of over 600 channels on-demand. This will include over 130 movies, 70 TV channels, 350 audio channels and 40 video games. There will be live BBC text news, sports and business headlines updated via satellite as well as in-seat telephone, SMS and email. Business Class will offer noise cancellation headphones and in-seat laptop charging points, whilst Economy Class will offer charging points in each row. 

Emirates’ Captain Andrew Smith, who learnt to fly in the North East of England, will be operating the Boeing 777-300ER from Dubai to Newcastle today. 

Since the route was launched, Emirates has carried more than 10 million kilos of cargo on its Newcastle service, helping companies across the region to export their goods across the globe. Popular commodities being shipped include oil rig equipment, car parts, personal effects and pharmaceuticals.  The arrival of the larger aircraft will mean an almost doubled cargo capacity.

Commenting, Emirates’ UK VP, Laurie Berryman, said: “The new service will be bigger and better. It is not only great news for all our customers in Newcastle, but also for North East PLC.  It shows Emirates’ continued investment and support for the area since we launched the route exactly five years ago today. No-one can be in any doubt that growth remains a key objective for Emirates here in the North East.” 

“We can now seamlessly connect even more North East passengers to our extensive route network, without them having to travel via London or other European airports – and we are doing so in style with our Boeing 777-300ER.”

“As part of the celebration of this upgraded service Emirates is offering a bonus ‘Mileage Accelerator’ promotion so that each passenger travelling on this route will earn additional Skywards miles to spend on future journeys.” 

Newcastle Airport’s chief executive, Dave Laws, said: “We are delighted to celebrate Emirates fifth anniversary at Newcastle Airport by welcoming the Boeing 777-300ER today.” 

“The Dubai service, with its extensive onward connections, has played an increasingly important role in the economy of the region. A recent study revealed the value of UK exports shipped via Newcastle Airport is £173.6 million, of which £150 million is carried on the Emirates service. Additionally, the airline provides worldwide connectivity for the business community in the North East which allows access to new markets and enables operations on a global stage.” 

“Fantastic opportunities are available in terms of leisure destinations. For example, the total journey time to reach Sydney from Newcastle Airport is under 21 hours, with a change over in Dubai of only 90 minutes.” 

“We hope today marks the beginning of the next successful chapter with Emirates and we’re confident the route will go from strength to strength.”