Emirates has unveiled plans to boost capacity to Athens with the addition of a second daily flight to the Greek capital from March 1.

The addition of a second daily service will take the total weekly Emirates flights serving Athens to 14.

The flight will be linked to the existing Dubai-Larnaca route, allowing travelers to book tickets between the Cypriot city and Athens.

The Dubai-Larnaca-Athens service will be operated by a state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class, and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class.

"Emirates started serving Athens in June 1996; since then we have carried over 2.2 million passengers on the route. Boasting a rich history and picturesque islands, Greece is a popular destination for travelers from the UAE, Australia, China and South Africa. The expanded schedule will also enable more seamless connections for business and leisure passengers travelling from Athens to key destinations like Dubai, Manila, Johannesburg, Dhaka, Melbourne, and Hong Kong," commented Thierry Aucoc, SVP, commercial operations, Europe and Russia. "By linking the new service to our existing Dubai-Larnaca flight, Emirates becomes the only airline to operate a wide-body aircraft on the popular Larnaca-Athens route," added Aucoc.

With an additional daily cargo capacity of nearly 20 tons in each direction, Emirates SkyCargo will connect customers in Greece with cities around the globe. Top exports include ship spares, fish, fur and leather goods, as well as pharmaceutical products.

Based on a study conducted by Frontier Economics, Emirates’ current operations in Athens have an economic impact of 79 million euros on Greece’s GDP and support over 1,600 jobs in the country.