Emirates is taking centre stage at this year’s Arabian Travel Market, being held at Dubai’s World Trade Centre. The Gulf’s premier aviation group is using an eye-catching aircraft model measuring nearly 500 square metres to showcase its latest and most customer-pleasing products and services. Emirates’ massive steel-framed stand on three floors weighs 26 tonnes, and was designed in the shape of the front section of an Airbus A380.

Emirates has ordered 45 of the mighty double-deckers which will join its fleet from 2006. They will seat 555 to 675 people and will enter service on the airline’s busiest routes from Dubai, including London and Bangkok.

The stand provides 264 square metres of display space and seats 95 ‘passengers’ in its two hospitality areas, ‘First class’ and ‘Business class.’

It also incorporates a boardroom, press room, six reception desks, seven plasma screens, more than 50 display modules with illuminated images and video monitors, two air-conditioning units, 10 heat exchangers, and even a catering lift.

On display throughout the show will be a model of Emirates’ remarkable new fully-enclosed A340-500 First Class suite, the ultimate in comfort, luxury and privacy for travellers on ultra-longhaul flights to distant cities like Sydney and, from next month, New York.

Similar to the 12 suites on Emirates’ eight A340-500 jets, the model features sliding doors which customers can open or close at will for greater privacy, and leather massage seats which fold down fully flat to become 72 inch (183cm) beds.

Inside, customers will be able to try out Emirates’ ‘i.c.e.’ - information, entertainment and communication system - with 19-inch screens on which to watch the world’s widest choice of inflight entertainment, featuring more than 100 movies, 50 TV channels, 350 radio and music channels, and 40 video games.

The suites also offer travellers personal telephones, email and SMS services to keep them in touch with home or office.

Emirates executives and staff will be at the stand to field visitors’ questions on the airline’s products and services, including its newly opened routes to Lagos, Accra, Glasgow, Shanghai and Vienna, as well as the upcoming new services to New York and Christchurch, in June and July, respectively.

Emirates Holidays will showcase its new wider-than-ever range of vacations in Africa and Indian Ocean, Middle East, Far East and Australasia, USA and Europe.

The much-expanded choice of tours spans French train trips, New Zealand raft holidays, Australian outback safaris and North American fly-drives, now available from many new US cities as Emirates prepares for the launch of its non-stop service between Dubai and New York from 1st June.

At Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa, the exclusive Emirates Group hotel near Dubai, work to transform and upgrade guest facilities is almost complete, and will be highlighted at the stand with a scale model.

New features include the new Jamila Spa, overlooking Al Maha’s main pool, which opens next month and will offer spa, relaxation and beauty treatments in individual and double massage rooms, and a new gym with the latest fitness equipment.

The new facilities also include the Al Majlis Boardroom, a meeting and conference area opening in July, and Al Diwaan, Al Maha’s second restaurant, ready now for use by private parties and corporate guests.

The resort’s 10 new luxury Bedouin suites have already opened, bringing the total to 40, all with much larger 7.5 by 5.5 metre personal pools.
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