Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has marked a stellar decade of providing its direct service between Milan and New York, carrying more than 1.8 million passengers on the popular route since its launch in 2013.

Borne out of tremendous demand to connect the two vibrant commercial and tourism centres in Italy and the US, the daily flight has supported both nations to reap positive impacts during the ten-year period. More than 6,000 flights in both directions have helped meet demand on an underserved route and contributed immensely to the vital trade and tourism links as well as having benefited both economies.

Completing its tenth anniversary of services between the “Fashion capital of the World” and the most visited city in the US,  Emirates’ flights have uplifted more than 37,000 tonnes of cargo between Milan and New York, with exports from Italy ranging from apparel, to food items and jewellery. From the US, apparel, textiles, spare parts as well as chemicals used across various industries top the list of commodities frequently exported to Italy. On average, the airline’s freight division, Emirates SkyCargo, facilitates exports between the two gateways annually, totalling almost 4,000 tonnes of cargo. This further demonstrates Emirates’ commitment to supporting the local economies and business enterprises in both countries.

With the direct service between Milan and Yew York, operating on a daily basis, the airline facilitates convenient connections for Italian diasporas, students, business travellers and tourists between Italy and the US.  The route is highly popular among travellers flying from Italy into New York and onwards to other destinations with a significant Italian diaspora presence. Emirates also offers increased connectivity for US travellers connecting to Milan and onwards to the airline’s global network of over 140 destinations.

Emirates connects both communities to the world through its vast sponsorship portfolio that covers major sporting events focussed on football, rugby, tennis, golf and more. In Italy, Emirates has a longstanding partnership with the popular football club AC Milan, and has introduced other global sponsorships to the local sports landscape such as the ATP Tour, Rugby World Cup and UAE Team Emirates. Emirates’ portfolio of sponsorships in the US is testament to its commitment to the local community and the shared passion for sports through its major tennis sponsorships including the US Open. In partnership with the ATP, the airline’s support extends to 60 other tournaments around the globe, including the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Miami Open and BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Besides the service between Milan and New York, Emirates operates two additional transatlantic flights between the Americas and Europe, connecting Athens and Newark through a direct flight, in addition to linking Mexico City and Barcelona.