Emirates and AIDA Cruises renew partnership in Berlin
The MoU was signed by Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises and Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline. Standing behind the Emirates executives from left to right: Volker Greiner, Emirates Vice President North & Central Europe; Dina Al Herais, Vice President VP B2B Corporate & Leisure Products; Issam Kazim, CEO Dubai Tourism; Thierry Aucoc, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Europe; Dennis Schrahe, Vice President Capacity & Revenue Planning.
Emirates and AIDA Cruises have renewed their partnership for another two seasons. The partnership was signed on the first day of ITB Berlin and supports Dubai’s efforts to increase its cruise capacity.
The MoU was signed by Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates, and Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises.
“We’re proud of AIDA Cruises’ long-standing commitment to Dubai, when they were one of the first cruise liners to home port in 2006. We are readying the business for another robust cruise season in Dubai, and through the support of partners like AIDA Cruises anchoring in our home city and hub, we’ll continue to strengthen Dubai’s position as an attractive gateway for winter cruising,” Kazim said.
Emirates plans to explore various opportunities with AIDA Cruises for joint marketing, operation alignment and strategic planning around flight schedules, in addition to enhanced transportation between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal.
The partnership will continue to focus on sharing relevant data and insights to improve service delivery including providing dedicated support teams for cruise passengers and delivering a smooth check-in process at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal. The airline will also dedicate capacity for the next two seasons to help meet the demand for cruise packages to Dubai.
"The Arabian Gulf is one of our most popular winter destinations due to its moderate flight times, pleasant summer temperatures and many hours of sunshine. Combined with the new state-of-the-art terminals at Dubai Harbour within easy reach of the city's attractions and excellent airport connectivity, our cooperation with Emirates will further enhance the attractiveness of this destination for our guests with tailor-made flight options," said Eichhorn.
The 12 Emirates check-in counters in Dubai Harbour allow passengers who are disembarking from their cruise ships to check in for a flight up to four hours before departure. They can then explore Dubai without their luggage before transferring directly to the airport.
Last year, Emirates transported approximately 400,000 cruise passengers using Dubai cruise terminals, the press release said. The city welcomed more than 166 ships during the last cruise season and expects to see an increase of 23 percent for the upcoming season.
