Johannesburg - Emirates announced on Friday that it will offer additional services between Dubai and the Thai island of Phuket.
It will offer twice daily flights from December 1 2015.
Responding to high customer demand, in particular during the peak winter travel season, the new flights will double current capacity and ensure better connections for travellers from cities in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East, via the airline’s Dubai hub.
Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said ongoing expansion of Phuket International Airport is set to double capacity.
“This newly added service will complement our existing six daily flights to Bangkok and our recent codeshare agreement with Bangkok Airways, offering ease of connection to different cities across Southeast Asia to and from Dubai and providing a smoother, more convenient travel experience,” said Antinori.
Emirates will operate the new flights with a Boeing 777-300ER.
In addition to Phuket, Emirates flies 42 times a week to Bangkok, and from December 1, four of the six daily flights to Bangkok will be served by an A380.
The airline also recently announced a codeshare agreement with Bangkok Airways, which added 19 routes across a number of Southeast Asian cities, and a total of 14 new destinations to the Emirates global network.