VIRGIN ATLANTIC has launched its first Middle East route between Heathrow and Dubai, using A340-600 Airbuses, which will carry more than 300 passengers on the seven-hour flight. Virgin Atlantic chairman, Sir Richard Branson, said Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Lebanon could also soon become Virgin destinations, with a new Manchester to Dubai service already being considered.
The Virgin return economy fares are significantly cheaper than those offered by rival carriers, and the company is also offering great value packages. Branson said: ‘Dubai is the perfect holiday destination with all the key ingredients of sun, sea and sand guaranteed. It already offers some of the most stunning new hotels in the world and more amazing leisure resorts and amenities are currently being built. I have visited Dubai several times and I’ve been bowled over with what it offers, and staggered by the commitment to further development.’
Dubai already attracts more than six million tourists a year, and has plans to increase this to 15 million visitors a year in the near future. Several new attractions have been proposed to achieve this aim – including Dubailand – Dubai’s three billion pound answer to Disneyland.
