Prague: Passengers from more than 20 countries travelled on Emirates' inaugural flight to Prague on Thursday, the airline said yesterday after becoming the first Arab carrier to service the route.

Emirates president Tim Clark, who headed the delegation on the first flight, said: "Prague is our second European route launch this year after Amsterdam on May 1 and our 103rd destination globally. The Czech Republic is a popular tourist destination and an exciting emerging market."

"With a fleet of 149 aircraft, including 11 A380s, we continue to drive forward with our expansion plans and more new routes are on the way. Madrid starts up August 1 and Dakar in Senegal begins a month after that," Clark added.

Also representing Emirates on the first flight were Richard Vaughan, divisional senior vice-president for commercial operations worldwide; Salem Obaidullah, senior vice-president for commercial operations in Europe and the Russian Federation; Boutros Boutros, divisional senior vice-president for corporate communications; and Ram Menen, divisional senior vice-president for cargo.

They were joined by Brigadier Obaid Mehayer Bin Surour, deputy director of the Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department and members of the UAE media.

On its arrival at Ruzyne International Airport in Prague, the Emirates plane received a rousing welcome as a traditional Rosenka dance group performed on the tarmac.

Among those welcoming the flight were Jaroslav Ludva, Czech Ambassador to the UAE, and Miroslav Dvorak, chief executive of Prague airport.

"This is an important and historic step. According to our expectations, there will be more than 140,000 passengers who will benefit from this daily non-stop flight [to and from] Dubai and Prague during 2010. Emirates is the first Arab carrier to land here," Dvorak told Gulf News.

Direct flight

"It will enable Czechs to travel directly to the Middle East for the first time, whilst also linking passengers to a range of destinations in the Eastern Hemisphere. Thanks to this network of connections, we are expecting a great deal of interest in flights to Dubai," Dvorak said.

Emirates' Obaidalla told Gulf News that the new route will boost tourism by three to four times.

"We are proud to become the first Arab carrier to land in Prague. This flight will definitely boost tourism, including health tourism, which the Czech Republic is famous for, and business," he said.

The inaugural flight carried 239 passengers in economy class and 25 in business class. "We had 40 Kuwaitis on board the flight," Obaidullah said.

More than 300 guests were invited to a special gala dinner at Prague's Municipal House where Michael Bolton headed up the entertainment. Guests also enjoyed New York's String Angels and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.

Trade between the Czech Republic and the UAE has leapt from under $26 million (Dh95.4 million) in 1993 to $678 million in 2008, according to the Czech Foreign Ministry.

Nearly 30 per cent of exports to the UAE are glass products. Other exports include electrical equipment, jewellery, beverages, cars and car parts.