Emirates today celebrated the opening of its dedicated lounge for its First and Business Class passengers as well as Gold members of Skywards, the airline’s frequent flyer programme, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Located in the International Departure Concourse and located next to Gate 75, it is the first dedicated lounge in Terminal 2 and also the only lounge in the airport that offers an extensive menu of complimentary hot and cold gourmet dishes, as well as a full bar service.

Mohammed H Mattar, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Airport Services, said: “The Shanghai lounge is an integral part of the Emirates experience, putting passengers in the best possible frame of mind for their journey. Today, as the World Expo continues, we are delighted to be adding Shanghai as the 27th Emirates Lounge to join our network of lounges.

“With the addition of the Shanghai lounge, well over half of our 18 destinations in the Far East and Australasian region have their own dedicated Emirates Lounge.”

Edwin Lau, Emirates’ Vice President, Greater China said: “This is the second lounge that we have opened in China, after Beijing in 2009. It is a very special occasion for us and demonstrates our commitment to our passengers from China. We are convinced that the continued upgrading of our services is the ultimate driving force behind the sustained and robust demand for Emirates flights. And it is our loyal passengers that have made possible our great success in Shanghai and all over China.”

The 860m2 lounge, capable of holding 165 passengers at any one time has the same signature touches as all Emirates lounges across the airline’s global network. Its luxurious amenities include designer shower rooms, cream leather lounge couches, 52-inch plasma TVs and a fully equipped Business Centre with Internet access and Wi-Fi.

Guests can also enjoy an extensive menu of hot and cold gourmet dishes, as well as a full bar service, supported by a team of dedicated lounge staff.

The Emirates Lounge in Shanghai becomes the 27th on the network and the 11th in the Far East & Australian Region. Other Emirates Lounges around the network are Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Birmingham, Brisbane, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, Munich, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York - JFK, Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and Zurich.

The Emirates Lounge caters for passengers on Emirates’ two non-stop, daily flights currently operated between Shanghai and Dubai - EK305, departure at 0715hrs & EK303, departure at 2330hrs.