Bologna becomes Emirates' new Italian connection

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Bologna becomes Emirates  new Italian connection
KrishnanWater canons welcome Emirates' EK093 on its arrival in Bologna

Bologna - Emirates launched its daily service to Bologna - the fourth destination in Italy after Rome, Milan and Venice.

by

Sushmita Bose

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Published: Wed 4 Nov 2015, 9:41 PM

When the big bird, the Emirates' Boeing 777-300ER, glided down on the tarmac at Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, every single ground staff had a camera (or a smartphone) in hand, clicking photos furiously. The Eagle had landed.
Emirates launched its daily service to Bologna - the fourth destination in Italy after Rome, Milan and Venice - on Tuesday at the end of which water canons welcomed EK093, and the Italian pilot helming the aircraft waved the UAE and the Italian flags to signify this new 'partnership' between the two countries. The flag waving was all the more significant because Tuesday was the UAE's Flag Day.
"Every new route is a new opportunity for us," said Thierry Antinori, Emirates' Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. "This new sector will make Bologna a point of entry to Italy for passengers from the Middle East, Africa and Asia."
He stressed Emirates will continue to thrill new customers (on the new route) with its abiding propositions of "quality, convenience and value-for-money".
A visibly happy Virginio Merola, the Mayor of Bologna, talked about how he was privileged to have this "direct connection" with Dubai. "It's an important day for us, we attach huge importance to this decision [to launch flights between Dubai and Bologna]."
Bologna is the capital of the Emilia Romagna region, boasting a diverse portfolio of art, culture, history - and great food. It has easy access to Florence, Pisa and Tuscany, making it an ideal base for travel to Italy. The mayor also spoke about new investments to be made over the next three years to further develop Bologna and a tourist and economic stronghold.

Local media persons who had assembled at the airport for the arrival of Emirates' first flight were treated to a short clip of how the airline will change travel and tourism - for both Dubai and Bologna; the end of the video show, that juxtaposed the emirate's vision with its carrier's high-flying arc, was greeted by spontaneous applause.
There was also 'strategic' humour: "Bologna is more important than Berlin... Berlin may be the capital of Germany, but we don't fly there," Antinori quipped to loud cheers from journalists. He signed off with, "Hello Bologna, Hello Italia, Hello Tomorrow."
-sushmita@khaleejtimes.com


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