The Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade & Tourism of Colombia, Óscar Rueda, made it officially on Thursday April 16 that after years of speculation, Emirates will start flying to Bogotá by the end of 2009 as its second South American destination after Sao Paulo. The decision comes after the recent Arab-South American Business Forum held at Doha in March, and was ratified by Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktum himself, president of Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group, who gathered with Colombia’s Minister of Trade, Luis Guillermo Plata. Mustafa Badawy Orrantia, commercial director of the Colombia-United Arab Emirates and GCC Chamber of Commerce, said back then that it was a priority for the UAE to “improve and increase trade relations with Colombia”, as it was proposed then that Qatar Airways was to be eligible too for a direct route between the Middle East and Bogotá. “We want to invite tourists to Colombia and I’m sure tourists from Colombia would also want to see the Middle East”, stressed Badawy Orrantia during the summit. Colombia’s Vice-president Francisco Santos said in March at the second Summit between South American and Gulf countries that a permanent diplomatic Colombian mission was going to be established in Abu Dhabi.
As early as 2002 it was gossiped that Emirates was flying into Colombia and Brazil. For some time, it was thought the airline was to land in Recife or Rio, but from October 1 2007, Emirates began flying six days a week to Sao Paulo, a trip of 14 hours and 40 minutes aboard one of its Boeing 777-200LR – the first-ever non-stop service between South America and Dubai. Colombia was again brought as a possible destination in January of that year, when the country’s airport authority signed an air trade agreement authorizing Colombian airlines and Emirates to operate daily flights between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Colombian cities. Emirates was the company designated by the UAE government. The accord also included six weekly cargo flights for Emirates and the same for an airline to be designated by the Colombian government.fficeffice" /> >>
Colombia’s Deputy Ministry of Foreign Trade & Tourism announced that Emirates has about three months to decide the routes, and will negotiate directly with Colombia's civil aviation authority, Aeronáutica Civil, and Colombia's main arline, Avianca. It was said, too, that Emirates is considering, beside the Dubai-Bogotá route, a Dubai-Frankfurt-Bogotá frequency and also a Dubai-Caracas-Bogotá. Despite it all, the airline has scheduled to begin flights by the end of 2009 or as early 2010, but this time it is for real. >>
As early as 2002 it was gossiped that Emirates was flying into Colombia and Brazil. For some time, it was thought the airline was to land in Recife or Rio, but from October 1 2007, Emirates began flying six days a week to Sao Paulo, a trip of 14 hours and 40 minutes aboard one of its Boeing 777-200LR – the first-ever non-stop service between South America and Dubai. Colombia was again brought as a possible destination in January of that year, when the country’s airport authority signed an air trade agreement authorizing Colombian airlines and Emirates to operate daily flights between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Colombian cities. Emirates was the company designated by the UAE government. The accord also included six weekly cargo flights for Emirates and the same for an airline to be designated by the Colombian government.fficeffice" />
Colombia’s Deputy Ministry of Foreign Trade & Tourism announced that Emirates has about three months to decide the routes, and will negotiate directly with Colombia's civil aviation authority, Aeronáutica Civil, and Colombia's main arline, Avianca. It was said, too, that Emirates is considering, beside the Dubai-Bogotá route, a Dubai-Frankfurt-Bogotá frequency and also a Dubai-Caracas-Bogotá. Despite it all, the airline has scheduled to begin flights by the end of 2009 or as early 2010, but this time it is for real.
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