The new daily flight is operated by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft in a three-class configuration offering 12 seats in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class, and 183 seats in Economy Class. Emirates flight EK119 will depart Dubai at 17:15 and arrive in at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Istanbul at 20:15 daily. The return flight EK120 will leave Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Istanbul at 22:05, arriving in Dubai at 04:20 the next day. As with all Emirates flights, passengers enjoy baggage allowances of 50kg in first class, 40kg in business class and with 30 kg in economy class.
Istanbul is Emirates’ third international city to benefit from a dual airport operation, following London and Tokyo. In addition to the daily flight to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Emirates also operates 11 weekly flights to Istanbul Atatürk Airport.
Located on the Asian side of the bi-continental city of Istanbul, Sabiha Gökçen International Airport offers travellers convenient access to the city’s cultural and historical sites. Passengers heading to the European side of Istanbul can take advantage of regular coaches that operate between Sabiha Gokcen and Taksim Square every half hour, taking approximately 45 minutes.
“We have been operating flights to Istanbul for more than 28 years and in that time have seen demand for our services grow exponentially. We are confident that both the passenger and cargo demand (are) strong enough to warrant Emirates operating to both of Istanbul’s airports,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and Aeropolitical Affairs.
“As well as providing our passengers with greater flexibility in their travel plans to and from Turkey this new flight also signifies the introduction of First Class to our flights to Istanbul. There is high demand for this route and we are already seeing strong booking levels across all cabin classes from across our network.”
Gökhan Buğday, the CEO of Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport said, “With the launch of Emirates new daily flight we now have 51 airlines operating from our rapidly growing airport. This year we expect 28 million passengers to fly through Sabiha Gökçen and Emirates’ launch signifies yet another important and exciting milestone for us.”
The UAE and Turkey enjoy a strong trade relationship that is estimated to reach US$15 billion this year. There are currently more than 500 Turkish companies operating out of the UAE, including a number of Turkish construction companies who have played a key role in the construction of many of the buildings that make up Dubai’s skyline.
“We have been operating flights to Istanbul for more than 28 years and in that time have seen demand for our services grow exponentially. We are confident that both the passenger and cargo demand (are) strong enough to warrant Emirates operating to both of Istanbul’s airports,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and Aeropolitical Affairs.
“As well as providing our passengers with greater flexibility in their travel plans to and from Turkey this new flight also signifies the introduction of First Class to our flights to Istanbul. There is high demand for this route and we are already seeing strong booking levels across all cabin classes from across our network.”
Gökhan Buğday, the CEO of Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport said, “With the launch of Emirates new daily flight we now have 51 airlines operating from our rapidly growing airport. This year we expect 28 million passengers to fly through Sabiha Gökçen and Emirates’ launch signifies yet another important and exciting milestone for us.”
The UAE and Turkey enjoy a strong trade relationship that is estimated to reach US$15 billion this year. There are currently more than 500 Turkish companies operating out of the UAE, including a number of Turkish construction companies who have played a key role in the construction of many of the buildings that make up Dubai’s skyline.