Emirates has announced its plans to launch direct services to Tokyo ' Japan's capital city and one of the world's foremost economic centers.

Tokyo will serve as Emirates' 102nd international destination, following the recent launch of operations to Durban and Luanda in October 2009. With the introduction of flights to Tokyo, Emirates will offer two non-stop services between Japan and Dubai, as the airline already operates daily services to Osaka.

Starting March 28, 2010, Emirates will fly non-stop to Tokyo five times a week on every Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The service will be operated by a state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering a three-class configuration of eight First Class Private Suites, 42 Business and 304 Economy Class seats.

Emirates passengers from the U.S. can connect to Tokyo flight EK 319 in Dubai through EK202 from New York, EK216 from Los Angeles, EK226 from San Francisco and EK212 from Houston.

Emirates' longstanding partnership with Japan Airlines will be expanded to include a code share on the new Dubai-Tokyo-Dubai services. The flights will be identified with the Emirates 'EK' code as well as with Japan Airlines' 'JL' code.'

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said, 'Emirates is delighted to announce the introduction of direct, non-stop services between Dubai and Tokyo. We have always stated our desire to expand our links with Japan ' a market we are extensively committed to.' '

EK 318 will depart Dubai at 2:50 a.m. and touch down at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at 5:55 p.m. the same day. Return flight EK 319 will depart at 9:40 p.m., providing travelers with a convenient departure time at the end of a working day and an ideal start to business in Dubai as it touches down at 4:35 a.m. the following day. The service connects seamlessly to key hubs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

'As one of the command centers of the world's economy, Tokyo requires robust connectivity to thrive. Emirates' direct services will link the city to over 100 international markets spanning six continents, facilitating the smooth transfer of business and leisure travelers as well as cargo,' Sheikh Ahmed added.

Presently the UAE and Japan share robust trade relations with Japanese technology firms and UAE energy companies collaborating on several projects. Dubai is currently home to 300 Japanese companies and the largest Japanese community in the Middle East.

The 23 tons of belly-hold cargo capacity on the Emirates aircraft will support Japanese exports of mechanical components, electronic goods and automobile parts to the UAE, and its import of gas and oil products. Dubai is an important hub for the re-export of Japanese manufactured products to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.