Emirates launches first flights to Mexico City

The airline will operate a daily service to the Mexican capital via the Spanish city of Barcelona

Emirates is launching daily flights to Mexico City at the end of the year. Courtesy Emirates

Emirates is to launch daily flights to Mexico City from December 9.

The linked service will operate via Barcelona, Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said.

“Due to the high altitude of Mexico City airport, it is not possible to operate a non-stop flight from Dubai, and Barcelona was a natural choice for a stopover," he said.

"We are pleased to offer a direct connection on the route between the Spanish city and Mexico City that has long been neglected by other airlines and remains under-served despite the strong customer demand.”

The new route will be operated on a two-class Emirates Boeing 777-200LR featuring 38 business class seats, in a 2-2-2 configuration, and 264 seats in economy class.

The flight will also offer up to 14 tonnes of cargo – the airline says this will open up access to more global markets for Mexican exports such as avocados, berries, mangoes, vehicle parts and medical supplies.

Emirates SkyCargo has already been flying freighters to and from Mexico City since 2014, and in the last year carried more than 22,500 tons of cargo on the route.

“We are excited to be able to introduce new air connectivity between Dubai and Mexico,” Clark said.

“The availability of high-quality, daily international air services is essential for the development of tourism, business and cultural ties.

"Trade, especially in high-value and time-sensitive products, will be facilitated by the ample cargo capacity on Emirates’ Boeing 777 aircraft. We also expect tourism to receive a major boost from the daily flights on our newly refurbished Boeing 777-200LR.”

Located in the Valley of Mexico at an altitude of 2,240 metres, Mexico City is the first destination in the country to be served by Emirates. The Mexican capital is one of the most important cultural and financial centres in the Americas, and the most populous city.

The destination is popular with business and leisure travellers from around the world, in particular from the UAE, Spain, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Egypt and Lebanon.

According to Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, inbound travel to Dubai from Mexico is also on the rise. In the first five months of this year, Mexican visitor numbers to Dubai grew by 32 per cent, compared with the same period last year.

“Mexico supports the launch of the long-awaited flight Dubai-Barcelona-Mexico City, which responds to Mexico’s government tourism policy towards opening new markets and strengthening connectivity between the Middle East and Mexico. We are eager to receive tourists from this part of the world,” said Mexico’s minister of tourism, Miguel Torruco Marques.

Emirates flight EK255 will depart Dubai at 3.30am, arriving in Barcelona at 8.00am before departing again at 9.55am and arriving in Mexico City at 4.15pm local time on the same day. The return EK256 flight will depart Mexico City at 8.40pm local time, arriving in Barcelona the next day at 1.25pm. EK256 will depart once again from Barcelona at 3.10pm bound for Dubai where it will arrive at 12.45am the following day.

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