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Emirates extends latest cabin experience to more cities worldwide, with A350 deployment to Entebbe

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Emirates

From 29 March, flights EK729/730 between Dubai and Entebbe will be operated by the Emirates A350, marking the debut of the airline’s newest aircraft type in Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda, February 12, 2026/APO Group/ —

  • Airline’s Premium Economy network will expand to 99 points by end of 2026
  • Emirates will introduce its first retrofitted high-density A380 on 14 April
  • Next-generation A350 introduced on services to Entebbe

Emirates (www.Emirates.com) has announced a series of aircraft deployments and product upgrades across its network, including the introduction of its next-generation A350 (https://apo-opa.co/465WMTv) on services to Entebbe, Uganda, extending the reach of Premium Economy and delivering a more consistent experience for customers.

From 29 March, flights EK729/730 between Dubai and Entebbe will be operated by the Emirates A350, marking the debut of the airline’s newest aircraft type in Uganda. The deployment forms part of Emirates’ broader fleet modernisation programme across its worldwide network.

The Emirates A350 features three spacious cabin classes, accommodating 298 passengers in 32 next-generation Business Class seats, 28 Premium Economy seats, and 238 generously pitched Economy Class seats.

As part of its ongoing retrofit programme, the airline is set to complete the upgrade of its first high-density, two-class A380 by mid-April. The aircraft will be reconfigured into a three-class layout featuring 76 Business Class seats, 56 Premium Economy seats, and 437 Economy Class seats.

The first upgraded aircraft will operate flights EK903/904 between Dubai and Amman from 14 April to 31 May, before moving to Prague on EK139/140 from 1 June. By November, Emirates expects to have retrofitted all 15 of its two-class A380s into the new three-class configuration.

Alongside the A350 service to Entebbe, the following additional aircraft deployments are set to take place from March*:

Europe and North America

  • New York JFK: From 2 March, flights EK201/202 will be served by a four-class retrofitted A380 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, increasing to a daily service from 1 June.
  • Zurich: From 1 March, Emirates will operate a four-class A380 featuring Premium Economy on flights EK085/086. With this upgrade, the airline will offer more than 1500 weekly seats in Premium Economy to and from Zurich.
  • Milan: Emirates will operate flights EK101/102 with a retrofitted, three-class Boeing 777-200LR fitted with Premium Economy from 10 May.
  • Dublin: Emirates will operate flights EK165/166 with a three-class retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR from 25 October. Once deployed, all 21 weekly flights to Dublin will offer Premium Economy.

Asia

  • Ho Chi Minh City: From 1 May, flights EK392/393 will be operated with a three-class retrofitted Boeing 777-200LR. With this upgrade, the airline will offer more than 600 weekly seats in Premium Economy to and from Ho Chi Minh City on double daily flights.
  • Hong Kong: Emirates will upgrade flights EK382/383 from a Boeing 777-300ER to an A380 from 1 October, transitioning to a retrofitted A380 fitted with Premium Economy from 1 December.
  • Guangzhou: Emirates will upgrade flights EK362/363 from a Boeing 777-300ER to an A380 from 1 October.

Middle East

  • Basra: Emirates flights EK945/946 will be operated with a retrofitted four-class Boeing 777-300ER starting from 1 May, offering Premium Economy across all five weekly flights to Basra.

Indian Ocean

  • Mauritius: Emirates will operate a retrofitted three-class Boeing 777-200LR on flights EK709/710 from 29 March.

Tickets can be booked on www.Emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents, as well as Emirates’ retail stores. WeChat Pay is available on www.Emirates.com.

* Aircraft deployment may be advanced if released earlier from refurbishment.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Emirates Group.

Events

2026 Hainan Cultural and Tourism Promotion Events Held in Hong Kong

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Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 June 2026 – On June 16, the 2026 Hainan Cultural and Tourism Promotion Events, under the theme of “Sunny Hainan · Heart’s Desire,” were held in Hong Kong. Leaders from Hong Kong’s cultural and tourism authorities, heads of industry associations, and representatives of key cultural and tourism enterprises from home and abroad gathered to explore new opportunities for cooperation and draw up a blueprint for the industry’s future.

Liu Xiaoming, Governor of the People’s Government of Hainan Province, and Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, attended the events and delivered speeches. During the promotional session, Chen Tiejun, Director of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province, unveiled the “Top Ten Calling Cards of Hainan Tourism,” which received enthusiastic responses and positive feedback from various sectors in Hong Kong. Attendees from Hong Kong unanimously agreed that Hong Kong and Hainan boast highly complementary cultural and tourism resources and immense potential for cooperation.

Since the launch of special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, its distinctive opening-up advantages, such as “zero tariffs, low tax rates, a simplified tax system” and “tariff exemption for value-added processing,” have become increasingly prominent. These policies have continuously made Hainan more attractive to businesses and opened up broader opportunities for Hong Kong investors and entrepreneurs.

On the same day, at the “Invest in the Free Trade Port, Share New Opportunities” Symposium for Hong Kong Enterprises held in Hong Kong, four cooperation agreements were formally signed, covering high-end commerce, cultural and tourism integration, and regional industrial coordination. Hong Kong business representatives expressed strong interest in deepening their presence in Hainan.

Hainan and Hong Kong share a long history of cooperation, and in recent years, a steady stream of favorable policies has been introduced. Since the signing of the Hainan-Hong Kong Memorandum of Cooperation in March 2025, bilateral cooperation has accelerated across the board. In 2025, goods trade between the two sides reached RMB 9.35 billion, increasing by more than two times from 2020. A total of 793 new Hong Kong-funded enterprises were established in Hainan, a year-on-year increase of 21.5%. Hainan has also issued offshore RMB bonds in Hong Kong for four consecutive years, with a cumulative total of RMB 18 billion. Currently, an average of four direct flights operate daily between Hong Kong and Hainan, with the fastest travel time under two hours, facilitating the rapid emergence of the “Hainan-Hong Kong Living Circle.”

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Travel & Tourism

Smooth take-off for new Terminal 2 at Hong Kong International Airport

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Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 May 2026 – Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) embarked on a new era on 27 May, with the successful launch of the expanded Terminal 2 (T2), further boosting the city’s position as global aviation hub.

In 2025, HKIA handled 61 million passenger trips, representing a year-on-year growth of 15%. It has recently garnered several prestigious recognitions for its outstanding performance in areas including security processing, aviation infrastructure, passenger services, and continuous enhancement of passenger facilities.

HKIA was crowned “Best Airport in the World” at the Global Travel Awards 2026, and was voted “Best Airport in China” in the 2026 TTG China Travel Awards for the third year in a row.

Spanning 300,000 square metres, the new T2 is designed and equipped to serve both departing and arriving passengers. The departures hall of T2 features eight check-in aisles, with 68 express self-bag drop counters, 58 smart check-in kiosks and 108 hybrid check-in counters.

Large LED displays are installed at different levels of T2, with 3D contents and ocean-themed videos creating a vibrant atmosphere. The food court at the departures hall serves passengers with eight catering outlets, four of which operate around the clock, while 12 shops offer a variety of products, including travel necessities and souvenirs.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on 22 May, Michael Wong, Acting Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, said, “The government will continue to adopt a multi-pronged approach to strengthen HKIA’s position as an international aviation hub, including accelerating the expansion of the aviation network, enhancing intermodal connectivity with the (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao) Greater Bay Area, and advancing the development of the Airport City. In particular, we will proactively align with and work on the National 15th Five-Year Plan, and fully support Hong Kong’s role as an international aviation hub.”

Fred Lam, Chairman of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), said the opening of T2 is another milestone of the airport’s development. “Positioned as a terminal for leisure travel, T2’s design prioritises efficiency and passenger comfort. We attend to every detail, leveraging technology extensively to enable efficient self-check in, self-bag drop and smooth immigration clearance,” he said.

Vivian Cheung, Chief Executive Officer of AAHK said the Authority was delighted to see the smooth relocation of airline partners to T2 and the positive passenger response to the new facilities.

“We have a lot of LED, animation, and new designs emphasising technology, and we have our in-house design for self-check in system, which only requires 45 seconds to go through the entire process. We want to help the airlines to migrate to a full-automation process, which will actually help passengers have better experiences and also reduce the labour needs,” she said.

 

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Business

Emirates is reconnecting the world through Dubai with 96% of its global network restored

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Emirates

From 8 May to 31 August 2026, Emirates Skywards members can enjoy accelerated access to the programme’s premium tiers through reduced tier requirements and Bonus Tier Miles on Emirates and flydubai flights

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 4, 2026/APO Group/ –Emirates (www.Emirates.com) is marking a near-full return to operations, with 96% of its global network now restored, following a period of disruption. In the past weeks, the airline has progressively resumed services across the Americas, Europe, Africa, West Asia, the Middle East/GCC, the Far East and Australasia.

 

Today, the airline operates to 137 destinations across 72 countries, with over 1,300 weekly frequencies, representing 75% of pre-disruption capacity. The airline is offering more flights, more seats and more options each day while reaffirming Dubai’s position as a vital hub through which global travel moves.

Even as it operated with a reduced schedule, Emirates carried 4.7 million passengers* during the disruption, a testament to the enduring demand for travel and the trust that travellers continued to place in the airline to get them where they needed to go.

The Emirates experience, wherever you’re going 

Wherever Emirates customers choose to fly, they can expect a best-in-class onboard and onground experience, defined by exceptional comfort, genuine hospitality, and a level of service that has set the standard for long-haul travel.

Onboard, customers enjoy a unique culinary experience, with regionally inspired, multi-course menus developed by a team of award-winning chefs and complemented by a wide selection of premium beverages. Emirates’ award-winning ice inflight entertainment system offers more than 6,500 channels of the best global content in almost 40 languages, including movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, games, audiobooks and more, ensuring there is no such thing as a long flight.

And for those who need to stay connected, high-speed Wi-Fi keeps customers reachable at 40,000 feet. Emirates now has Starlink connectivity live on 28 aircraft, delivering ultra-fast, reliable internet in the air.

Enjoy flexible travel and rewards 

Emirates is giving customers more reasons to travel with confidence with flexible rebooking, Dubai Connect stopover experiences and enhanced Skywards benefits:

  • Flexible bookings: Customers booked from 2 April will enjoy added flexibility, with one free date change included across all cabin classes. Customers who have booked with Emirates can also hold a fare for 24 hours free of charge.
  • Dubai Connect: For customers with extended transit times in Dubai from 6 to 26 hours, Emirates’ Dubai Connect programme turns a long layover into a comfortable stopover, courtesy of the airline. Eligible customers will enjoy complimentary hotel accommodation at a 4 or 5-star property, airport transfers, meals, and, where required, a UAE entry visa. Available to passengers across all cabin classes with qualifying connection times, Dubai Connect can be booked up to 12 hours ahead via Manage Your Booking (https://apo-opa.co/49amBmQ) on www.Emirates.com. Terms and conditions apply (https://apo-opa.co/4tPG197)
  • Skywards: From 8 May to 31 August 2026, Emirates Skywards members can enjoy accelerated access to the programme’s premium tiers through reduced tier requirements and Bonus Tier Miles on Emirates and flydubai flights.

Emirates operates three daily flights to Johannesburgten weekly flights to Cape Town (with EK772 currently operating three times a week), and four weekly flights to Durban, ensuring strong and consistent connectivity for customers travelling to and from South Africa.

Passengers can explore flight schedules and book their journey from South Africa by visiting Emirates’ official website: https://apo-opa.co/4w7cfxZ

*Between 1 March and 30 April 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Emirates Group.

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