Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has marked a stellar decade of providing its direct service between Milan and New York, carrying more than 1.8 million passengers on the popular route since its launch in 2013.  

Borne out of tremendous demand to connect the two vibrant commercial and tourism centres in Italy and the US, the daily flight has supported both nations to reap positive impacts during the ten-year period. More than 6,000 flights in both directions have helped meet demand on an underserved route and contributed immensely to the vital trade and tourism links as well as having benefited both economies.

Completing its tenth anniversary of services between the “Fashion capital of the World” and the most visited city in the US,  Emirates’ flights have uplifted more than 37,000 tonnes of cargo between Milan and New York, with exports from Italy ranging from apparel, to food items and jewellery. From the US, apparel, textiles, spare parts as well as chemicals used across various industries top the list of commodities frequently exported to Italy. On average, the airline’s freight division, Emirates SkyCargo, facilitates exports between the two gateways annually, totalling almost 4,000 tonnes of cargo. This further demonstrates Emirates’ commitment to supporting the local economies and business enterprises in both countries.

With the direct service between Milan and Yew York, operating on a daily basis, the airline facilitates convenient connections for Italian diasporas, students, business travellers and tourists between Italy and the US.  The route is highly popular among travellers flying from Italy into New York and onwards to other destinations with a significant Italian diaspora presence. Emirates also offers increased connectivity for US travellers connecting to Milan and onwards to the airline’s global network of over 140 destinations.

Emirates connects both communities to the world through its vast sponsorship portfolio that covers major sporting events focussed on football, rugby, tennis, golf and more. In Italy, Emirates has a longstanding partnership with the popular football club AC Milan, and has introduced other global sponsorships to the local sports landscape such as the ATP Tour, Rugby World Cup and UAE Team Emirates. Emirates’ portfolio of sponsorships in the US is testament to its commitment to the local community and the shared passion for sports through its major tennis sponsorships including the US Open. In partnership with the ATP, the airline’s support extends to 60 other tournaments around the globe, including the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Miami Open and BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Besides the service between Milan and New York, Emirates operates two additional transatlantic flights between the Americas and Europe, connecting Athens and Newark through a direct flight, in addition to linking Mexico City and Barcelona.

Emirates in the US

Emirates launched services to the US with its inaugural flight to New York JFK in 2004. Since then, the airline has expanded its services in the market to reach 12 US points, with the most recent addition being Miami. Through 96 weekly flights, Emirates now connects its hub city of Dubai with 12 US points, including Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport (IAD), Seattle Tacoma Airport (SEA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Orlando International Airport (MCO), Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Miami International Airport (MIA).

Onboard customers travelling from the US can enjoy regionally-inspired cuisine and beverages across its flights operated by a mix of Boeing 777 and A380 aircraft.  Its vast range of entertainment options on its in-flight entertainment system include more than 2,000 movies encompassing popular Hollywood releases, hundreds of streaming content from HBO Max, discovery+ and more.

Emirates in Italy

Emirates launched services to Rome in 1992, followed by Milan in 2000, Venice in 2007 and Bologna in 2015. The airline currently operates 42 weekly flights from Dubai to all four gateways operated with a mix of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s, in addition to its daily direct service from Milan to New York. Travellers flying with Emirates to and from Italy can enjoy a wide range of Italian content on ice, with up to 300 movies including popular titles such as II Colibri, Nostalgia and L’immensita, as well as 19 channels of Italian music. More than 250 Hollywood movies dubbed in Italian are also available on these flights.