Emirates Airline to launch flights to 2 more Chinese cities next May

DUBAI - Emirates Airline said on Monday that starting from next May, it will launch four weekly flights to two Chinese provincial capitals.

Zhengzhou, provincial capital of Henan province and Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, will be the 4th and 5th Emirates destinations in Chinese mainland after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, said Emirates in e-mailed statement.

Ningxia enjoys strong trade relations with Dubai, especially in the field of Islamic food (halal food) and all sorts of Sharia-compliant goods.

In 2014, China surpassed India as Dubai's biggest trading partner when bilateral exchange grew 29 percent year on year to reach 175 billion dirham ($47.68 billion).

Emirates' new services will connect Yinchuan and Zhengzhou with many new destinations via a convenient connection in Dubai, and help boost trade and tourism flows to the growing central and western parts of China where these cities are located.

Ties between China and Dubai continue to grow stronger. A growing number of Chinese banks and businesses are establishing branches within Dubai's business and financial districts and the city is now home to over 3,000 Chinese companies and 200,000 Chinese residents. Growth in the number of Chinese visitors to Dubai went up by 25 percent in 2014.