Emirates has announced the deployment of its latest Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft fitted with the ‘Game Changer’ First Class suites on its Dubai-Male route from June 1, 2019.
The Maldivian capital will become the first destination in South Asia to be served on a regular basis by the new aircraft.
Passengers travelling to and from Male on Emirates flights EK658 and EK659 — one of three daily non-stop services connecting Male with Emirates’ hub in Dubai — will be able to experience the fully-enclosed First Class private suites inspired by luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz.
“The Maldives has become an increasingly popular destination for Emirates, attracting premium travellers, honeymooners and families from around the world. Introducing the new Boeing 777 with the state-of-the-art First Class suites on this route reaffirms our longstanding commitment to Male. It’s also a testament to our ongoing efforts to provide our travellers across the network with an unparalleled experience, demonstrating what Emirates truly means when it invites customers to Fly Better,” Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President for West Asia & Indian Ocean, was quoted in a statement, as saying.
Travellers to and from the Maldives can experience the new Emirates Boeing 777 product on flight EK658 departing Dubai daily at 2.20pm and arriving in Male at 9.30am. The return flight EK659 leaves Male at 11am, arriving in Dubai at 2pm.
Dubai-based Emirates began its service to the Maldives in May 1987 using a single Boeing 727 aircraft. With three times daily non-stop service between Dubai and Male, Emirates has become a major airline operating to the Maldives and a preferred airline for tourists visiting the island nation from far corners of the world, especially Europe.
The airline will operate four daily services to Male from October 27, 2019 to March 28, 2020, in accordance with winter schedules.
From First Class through to the Business and Economy Class cabins, the latest Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft features ergonomically designed seats, multi-million dollar upgrades and the latest version of the ICE inflight entertainment system across all cabins.
Designed with an emphasis on exceptional customer comfort and ultimate privacy, Emirates ‘Game Changer’ Boeing 777 private suites feature floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and ultra-modern design features against cool grey colourscapes. Offering up to 40 square feet of personal space each, the spacious, fully-enclosed private suites are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration, for a total of six suites.
The new suites include seats that recline into a fully flat-bed that manoeuvres into multiple positions and can be placed in a “zero-gravity” state inspired by NASA technology, for a feeling of weightlessness while flying. Passengers can also choose from a multitude of lighting colours and adjust the temperature of their suites for a fully customisable experience. The industry’s first virtual windows can be experienced by customers seated in suites located in the middle aisle. The virtual windows project a view from outside the aircraft using real time fibre-optic camera technology.
The Business Class seats are inspired by the interior of a modern sports car, and feature an ergonomically designed headrest with a sleek look and feel. Business Class passengers can also customise their experience with touchscreen controls for their seat and inflight entertainment system and adjust their personal lighting options. The cabin also includes privacy panels between seats, a shoe stowage area, footrest, and a personal mini-bar.
The Economy Class cabin features a colour palette of soft greys and blues. The seats come with full leather flexible headrests with side panels that can be adjusted vertically for optimum support.
Emirates currently operates its latest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with the ‘Game Changer’ First Class suites to Brussels, Geneva, Vienna, Tokyo (Haneda), London Stansted and Riyadh and has announced it will deploy the aircraft on flights to Kuwait from June 1, 2019.