Emirates to launch daily service to Bologna in Italy

Dubai carrier Emirates has announced the launch of a daily service to the city of Bologna, its fourth destination in Italy.

The service is scheduled to begin on November 3, 2015 and will bring Emirates’ weekly flights to Italy to 56, a statement said.

Operated by a Boeing 770-300 ER, the new flight will add 5,040 international seats per week to and from the city.

Emirates is expecting to tap into both cargo and passenger demand on its new route while improving connectivity to its hub, the company said.

The new service is also expected to drive up passenger numbers at Bologna’s airport, officials said.

“This new partnership between Emirates and Bologna Airport enhances Marconi Airport’s positioning as the fourth largest in Italy, in regards to global connectivity,” said Nazareno Ventola, managing director of Aeroporto di Bologna.

“This new flight offers the over 47,000 local businesses, operating in key domestic sectors and managing export volume of more than 26 billion euros per year, comfortable and timely access to over 50 Far Eastern, Middle Eastern and African destinations.”

Emirates said that it expected to see strong outbound traffic from Bologna to destinations such as India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Meanwhile top destinations for inbound travel to Bologna are expected to come from the UAE, Japan, China, India and Australia, comprising of a mix of trade and tourism traffic.

The new service will also help build cargo capacity on the route with Emirates SkyCargo being able to offer 23 tonnes of cargo capacity per day.

Apart from Bologna, Emirates operates a triple daily flight to Rome and Milan and a daily flight to Venice. It also operates a daily flight to Milan from New York, which will be upgraded to an A380 from June 1.

The airline, which is currently battling a wave of hostility from its European and the US peers over its fast-paced expansion, said that it supports more than 10,000 Italian jobs and contributes 747 million euros to the Italian economy.