Emirates renews partnerships with...

Benefits to passengers include being able to check-in for flights at Emirates counters in Dubai Harbour

Solidifying Dubai’s place as a maritime tourism hub, Emirates and AIDA Cruises has renewed its partnerships with AIDA Cruises and Tui for a further two seasons.

The renewed partnership is in line with Dubai’s efforts to significantly grow its cruise capacity, attracting cruise lines with the city's state-of-the-art handling facilities supported by the destination's air connectivity.

Emirates will explore opportunities with AIDA Cruises and Tui for joint marketing, operational alignment and strategic planning around flight schedules from across its network, as well as enhanced transportation solutions between Dubai International Airport and Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, where AIDA is based.

The MoUs were signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates Airline deputy president and chief commercial officer, and AIDA Cruises president Felix Eichhorn (pictured).

Kazim said: “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, we’ll continue to strengthen Dubai’s position as an attractive gateway for winter cruising.”

Eichhorn added: "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."

AIDAprima has been docking at Dubai Harbour since 2021 and can accommodate up to 3,200 passengers. This season, passengers embarking and disembarking at Dubai Harbour can enjoy itineraries stopping at destinations in Oman, Qatar and the UAE.

TUI Cruises will deploy two ships for the upcoming season to Port Rashid. Each ship can accommodate more than 2,500 passengers. Customers have the choice of two programmes, one with embarkation and disembarkation in Dubai, featuring GCC destinations including Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The other itinerary includes Asian points such as Singapore and Hong Kong.

The 16 Emirates check-in counters in Dubai Harbour allow passengers who are disembarking from their cruise ships to fully check-in up to four hours before flight departures, affording them the convenience of exploring Dubai without their luggage before heading directly to the airport and transiting past most check-in formalities before their flight.

Last year, Emirates transported around 400,000 cruise passengers using Dubai cruise terminals. Forr the upcoming season, the city expects an increase of 23% more cruise passengers.

For more information, visit www.emirates.com and www.aida.com

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