The FINANCIAL — Emirates has doubled its regional lounge offering in the UK within the space of just six months.
A brand new luxury lounge has been officially opened in Birmingham, the first dedicated lounge to be offered by a long-haul airline at the city's international airport.
First Class and Business Class passengers, plus Gold Skywards members, travelling on Emirates’ twice-daily service from Dubai to Birmingham can now seek sanctuary in the 7,000 square foot facility. It is situated opposite the airline’s departure gate (number 54) in the new international pier in Terminal 1.
The Emirates Lounge offers the ultimate in comfort with luxury leather seating for up to 117 people, plasma TVs showing the latest news, a business centre with complimentary internet access and full shower facilities.
Guests to the lounge can also enjoy an extensive menu of complimentary hot and cold gourmet dishes – prepared by expert chefs, accompanied by a full bar service – all supported by a team of dedicated lounge staff.
Mohammed Mattar, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Airport Services, who officially opened the lounge, said: “This significant investment to our operation at Birmingham further highlights our commitment to the region and the importance of our twice-daily service to the Midlands. We hope our premium customers will enjoy this new facility next time they fly with us and look forward to experiencing our trademark attentive service for which we are renowned.”
Paul Kehoe, the CEO of Birmingham International Airport, who was also present at Thursday's opening celebrations, added: “Emirates has been operating flights between Birmingham and Dubai for 10 years now and over this time it has provided a vital connection for the Midlands, not just to the Middle East, but onwards to all corners of the globe."
Mr Kehoe added: “We are therefore delighted to see the opening of this stunning new facility in our new International Pier, which signifies a long-term commitment by the airline to Birmingham and the wider region.”
In September 2009, the airline helped Birmingham International Airport celebrate its 70th birthday by sending one of its Airbus A380s in the first ever flight by the superjumbo to a UK regional airport.
Emirates has been operating to Birmingham for a decade and offers almost 800 seats a day on its two daily flights from Dubai.
Birmingham is the latest facility to open in the airline’s AED 266 million worldwide lounge investment programme. A similar facility was opened in Manchester in October, while other Emirates' lounges in the UK can be found at London Heathrow and London Gatwick.
Elsewhere, the airline's premium passengers can enjoy lounges in Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Dubai (x3), Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Mumbai, Munich, New York – JFK, Paris – Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and Zurich.
Emirates has so far announced five new routes for 2010; Tokyo (28th March), Amsterdam (1st May), Prague (1st July), Madrid (1st August), and Dakar (1st September).
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