“Today marks twenty years of a warm and prosperous relationship between Emirates and CIAL. As we complete two decades of serving our customers in Cochin, we look forward to welcoming more passengers onboard flying to and from Dubai and the rest of our vast network.”
— Mohammad Sarhan, Emirates’ Vice President – India & Nepal
Emirates celebrated 20 years of flying to Cochin on December 2. To mark the major milestone, flight EK530 arriving from Dubai at 08:05 received a water cannon salute from Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), to mark the occasion and usher in continued prosperity between the airline and airport.
When the international airline began operations to the Southwest Indian city of Cochin back in 2002, the destination became the airline’s fifth gateway in India. In the past two decades, Emirates has carried over 6.1 million passengers between Cochin and the airline’s hub in Dubai on over 23,000 flights, catering to the large Malayali diaspora in the UAE, in addition to other global locations. Currently, the airline offers 14 weekly flights between Dubai and Cochin, which is a major tourist destination for inbound traffic.
On the occasion of the 20-year milestone, Mohammad Sarhan, Emirates’ Vice President – India & Nepal, said, “Today marks twenty years of a warm and prosperous relationship between Emirates and CIAL. As we complete two decades of serving our customers in Cochin, we look forward to welcoming more passengers onboard flying to and from Dubai and the rest of our vast network.”
CIAL is also a major commercial airport for exports and Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has continuously supported the economy by facilitating the uplift of over 125,000 tonnes of fresh produce, fresh flowers and spices since flights began, carrying commodities in the bellyhold of its widebody Boeing 777 aircraft to destinations such as the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, USA and France
“Our mission is to provide our customers with premium travel experiences and exceptional connectivity, wherever they may be travelling. This is why we continuously invest in our onboard products and services, and provide memorable travel experiences with regionally-inspired cuisine, celebrating Onam onboard during the festive season, and have Malayalam content onboard to suit the tastes of our customers. Our Malayalam-speaking crew on flights to Cochin also ensure our passengers feel at home when flying with us.”
Top international destinations for passengers from Cochin include UK cities London, Manchester and Birmingham, in addition to Dublin, Rome, Auckland, Toronto, and US cities Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Houston. Passengers travelling inbound into Cochin followed similar trends with the addition of Kuwait as one of the top feeder markets.
Dinesh Kumar C, Airport Director, Cochin International Airport Limited added: “We wish to extend hearty congratulations to Emirates airline for completing 20 years of success in operation at CIAL. The partnership between CIAL and Emirates airline is prestigious and is beyond the individuals involved. Let us work together to achieve greater goals in the years to come.”
CIAL is also a major commercial airport for exports and Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has continuously supported the economy by facilitating the uplift of over 125,000 tonnes of fresh produce, fresh flowers and spices since flights began, carrying commodities in the bellyhold of its widebody Boeing 777 aircraft to destinations such as the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, USA and France. CIAL also serves as a major export station for Trichur, Kottayam, Palakkad, and Pathanamthitta districts. The popular cargo items uplifted by Emirates SkyCargo into Cochin are engineering goods, chemicals, electronics, perfumes and valuable items, topping more than 42,000 tonnes over the 20-year period. Top markets where import items originate from are UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and USA.
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