Emirates launched its inaugural services to the Moroccan city of Casablanca on 31st March 2002 with the first flight
touching down amid a spectacle of folkloric music and dance.
Emirates Chairman, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, led a delegation
on the inaugural service which included HE Dr Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saif Al
Nahyan, Chairman of Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Co. (GAMCO) and Chairman of
Emirates & Morocco Trading & General Investment, Abu Dhabi; HE Abdullah
Azemane, the Moroccan Ambassador to the UAE; Qassim Sultan, Director
General, Dubai Municipality; Obaid Al Tayer, President of Dubai Chamber of
Commerce & Industry; Saeed Al Ghandi, Chairman, Al Ghandi Group; Abdullah Al
Ghandi, Managing Director, National Automotive; Anis Al Jallaf, CEO &
Managing Director, Emirates Bank International; Abdulla Ahmed Saleh,
Managing Director, National Bank of Dubai; and Munther Juma, Head of Foreign
Relations & Organisation Office, Dubai Municipality.
Accompanying them were a number of senior Emirates officials, including
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Commercial Operations Director.
Sheikh Ahmed was welcomed at the airport by Mohammed Moufid, Advisor to the
Moroccan Minister of Transportation, HE Abdessalam Znined, and Emirates
representatives, including Nasser Bin Kherbash, General Manager Middle East
& Africa; and Ali Al Shamsi, Manager Morocco.
Following the traditional cake-cutting to celebrate the launch of services,
Sheikh Ahmed said: It gives me great pleasure to lead this Emirates
delegation to Morocco. We have long wanted to come to Casablanca and now at
last we are here with the first-ever direct link between Dubai and Morocco.
I would like to thank the Government, the Airport Authorities, Passport and
Immigration and the Police for all the support they have given my team to
enable us to launch this service in such a seamless way.
We believe that the Emirates flight will strengthen the ties between our
two countries and will encourage the Dubai residents and visitors from the
Middle East to increase your tourism and we also expect that there would be
significant investments from the UAE in your country.
Sheikh Ahmed hosted a gala evening in Casablanca in celebration of the
inaugural service, on Tuesday 2nd April.
Flying three times a week between Casablanca and Dubai, the airline operates
an Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the route, with a three-cabin service of 18
First, 42 Business and 183 Economy Class seats.
Every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, EK752 departs from Casablanca in the
afternoon at 1435, arriving in Dubai at 0215 on the following day, with a
flight time of seven hours, 40 minutes.
EK751 departs from Dubai every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 0805 in the
early morning, touching down in Casablanca for lunchtime at 1300, with a
flight time of eight hours, 55 minutes. All times are local.
With the new operation between Casablanca and Dubai, Emirates network now
extends to 57 destinations in 40 countries. In addition, the airline will
start operations on 8th April between Dubai and Khartoum, the capital of
Sudan. |
