The arrival of Emirates flight EK213 at Miami International Airport at 11AM on July 22, 2021 marked the start of the airline’s new four-times-a-week passenger service between Dubai and Miami, its 12th destination in the United States.
The United Arab Emirates airline had provided service to neighboring Fort Lauderdale from 2016 until early 2020, when it suspended flights to a number of destinations because of Covid-19. Over the intervening period, the airline made the decision to service South Florida out of Miami instead. According to Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates Divisional Vice President for USA and Canada, this was due to economic viability, for both their passenger and cargo services. “It made sense to go out of Miami. There are huge potentials, not necessarily only in [the city itself] but also the Caribbean and the other destinations that connect here,” he shared at the inaugural welcome reception.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava added, “It’s the first time in our history, and we are grateful that another airport has ‘lost’ Emirates for our gain.”
Flights to/from Miami will operate four times weekly on Emirates’ three-class Boeing 777-300ER, offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 304 seats in Economy Class. Flights will depart Dubai at 03:10 AM and arrive in Miami at 11:00 AM. Flights out of Miami will depart at 9:10 PM and arrive in Dubai at 7:35 PM the next day.
Apart from Dubai, Mr. Ahmad tells Forbes that he foresees this route as enabling a new level of service from South Florida to West Asia and the Indian Ocean; Southeast Asia, specifically the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand; the Middle East and Africa.
Since resuming flights, Emirates has ensured safety measures are in place at every touch point from check-in until landing. “We make sure we clean the aircraft 100 percent, and we use the Hepa filters which help us with 99% of air circulation, which get circulated every two to three minutes,” Mr. Ahmad shared. Otherwise, everything else is in place, including unlimited caviar and Dom Pérignon 2008 in First Class.
In the US, apart from Miami, Emirates also currently serves Boston, Chicago, New York (JFK and Newark), Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC and Orlando.
