Emirates starts Stockholm services

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, has further expanded its European reach today with the start of its daily nonstop service to Stockholm.
The VIP delegation aboard the flight to Stockholm included Hubert Frach, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president commercial operations, west; Pradeep Kumar, Emirates’ senior vice president cargo revenue optimization and systems; Professor Najib Al-Khaja, CEO of MAF Healthcare — Majid Al-Futtaim Group; Christer Skogum, president of ABB Metals; Anders Lindblad, Middle East regional head for Ericsson; Daniel Alexander Clayton, regional food and beverage manager for IKEA — Al Futtaim Group; Nils Axing, general manager of Bab Al-Bahr, Fairmont Abu Dhabi; and Maya Ternstrom, executive director of the Swedish Business Council, in addition to local and regional media representatives.
“Stockholm is an important center for business, industry and services in Scandinavia, with an average annual GDP growth of 3.5 percent forecast for the coming years,” said Hubert Frach.
“Emirates’ new service will play a significant role in supporting this growth by connecting Stockholm to well-established and emerging markets in the Far East, opening new conduits for trade, investment and tourism,” Frach added.
The inaugural flight was welcomed by Ewa Bjorling, minister of trade, Sweden; Torborg Chetkovich, president and CEO, Swedavia and Sheikha Najla Al-Qassimi, UAE ambassador in Sweden along with partners from the travel trade and local media.
“This flight will have a great impact on our bilateral trade and cultural exchange,” said Ewa Bjorling, minister of trade, Sweden.
Torborg Chetkovich, president and CEO, Swedavia, said: “Passenger travel between Stockholm and Dubai has grown by about 600 percent over the last 10 years and we see a great opportunity for both business and leisure travel.”
Emirates flight EK157 departs Dubai at 0715hrs and lands in Stockholm at 1200hrs the same day. EK158 departs Stockholm at 1355hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2255hrs.