JEDDAH, 5 February — Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, which operates regular flights between the Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, has been voted best airline to the Middle East by Travel Weekly, Britain’s leading travel trade publication, for the 11th year in succession. Mohamed Shareef Raheem, Emirates’ General Manager UK and Ireland, collected the award from Tim McDermott, head of commercial and aviation development at Manchester Airport, at an awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel recently. Raheem said: "We are delighted to be recognized in this way by the travel agents, who play such a pivotal role in our continuing success. Awards like this endorse our continuous campaign to improve what Emirates does for customers." The weekly is claimed to be the most widely read travel trade publication in the UK. Travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers and airline personnel make up most of its readers. Emirates, which has won more than 200 awards in its 16-year history, flies six times a day from Dubai to the UK — three times a day to Heathrow and once a day each to Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Meanwhile, Emirates has signed a $94.2 million financing agreement for the acquisition of a new Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Scheduled for delivery at the end of this month, the aircraft is the 20th of 27 on firm order, which are all powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 Series engines. Emirates became the first airline to sign the largest-ever aircraft order for a firm commitment of 22 of the world’s largest airliner, the A380 aircraft plus 10 options. The airline has also signed two letters of intent for eight Airbus A340-600 aircraft and 25 Boeing 777s in two versions, the- 200 and the -300, in addition to ordering three more Airbus A330-200 aircraft. These orders are on top of outstanding orders for 20 aircraft including the 777, the A330-200 and the A340-500 with options on a further two A340-500s. The total order will boost Emirates fleet to 100 aircraft by the year 2010.
