Watch: Emirates launches Dubai-Hangzhou flight to boost tech, trade, tourism ties

Hangzhou: Emirates launched its first daily service to Hangzhou on Wednesday, July 30, strengthening its network in mainland China to five destinations.

The new route reflects the airline’s strategic commitment to enhancing trade and tech connectivity between the UAE and China, with direct connectivity now enabling faster and more economical access to popular Chinese products such as Alibaba’s e-commerce goods and products from Hangzhou-based manufacturers like Geely.

Flight EK310 was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute as it landed at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. The city, known as the birthplace of tech giant Alibaba, is often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley and is rapidly establishing itself as a key player in artificial intelligence, big data, and digital commerce.

“Hangzhou is one of China’s seven ancient cities, with over 2,000 years of rich cultural heritage. It will definitely attract tourism for its historical significance. At the same time, it is also a major centre for digital technology and the digital economy, one of the leading cities in China in that space. That mirrors what Dubai is doing, so connecting these two cities makes perfect sense,” said Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President, International Affairs.

“Beyond that, we are part of BRICS and continuing to support initiatives like the Digital Silk Road. This new link strengthens our contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative and facilitates investment and tourism flows both ways,” he said.

The daily flight will operate using a Boeing 777-300ER with eight First Class suites, 42 Business Class seats, and 304 Economy seats. It offers a weekly capacity of 2,478 seats between Dubai and Hangzhou. Flight EK310 departs Dubai at 03:10 and arrives in Hangzhou at 15:30, while EK311 departs Hangzhou at 00:10 and lands in Dubai at 04:55.

Chinese tourist visits to Dubai reached around 830,000 in 2024, marking a 30% increase from 2023, reflecting growing demand and connectivity with the UAE.

With 49 weekly flights between Dubai and China, Emirates is enhancing its services for Chinese passengers, including Chinese-speaking crew and tailored in-flight offerings.

The route is not only about passengers. Emirates SkyCargo aims to capitalise on Hangzhou’s emergence as a cross-border e-commerce hub. The service enables faster, more efficient movement of high-value and time-sensitive goods, including electronics, pharmaceuticals, and perishables between China and regions like Africa, Latin America and the GCC.

With more direct flights, both passenger and cargo, people in the UAE can enjoy more timely and cost-effective access to Chinese goods, said Adam Li, Vice President – China, Emirates.

In 2024 alone, Hangzhou’s core digital economy industries generated over Dh1 trillion ((2 trillion Chinese yuan)) in revenue, accounting for 28.8% of the city’s GDP. With cross-border e-commerce exports expected to exceed Dh 70 billion by 2026, Emirates' entry into this tech-forward city strengthens trade infrastructure.

“We view this new connection as more than just a flight. It is a symbol of a growing partnership we’ve had with the China mainland over two decades, and a testimony of Emirates’ strong commitment to the market,” said Sheikh Majid.

“Looking ahead, we believe that this new route will open the doors for new partnerships, foster international tourism, support regional supply chains, and encourage greater investment and business collaboration between the China mainland and the rest of the world,” he added.

The new service is part of the rapid expansion of Emirates' routes in China, with a new direct flight from Hangzhou to Dubai within a month of launching a route from Shenzhen.

Launching two new routes in one month is a record for Emirates in any single country, said Li. “Shenzhen has already exceeded our expectations with strong business traffic, and we expect similar performance from Hangzhou.”

“Before this route launched, many passengers from Hangzhou had to travel to Shanghai to fly to Dubai. Direct connectivity makes the journey faster, and Hangzhou’s mix of business, labour, and diaspora traffic justifies this expansion.”

The Shenzhen route has exceeded expectations, said Li. “For Shenzhen, about 50% of our traffic so far is business, from large companies like Huawei and ZTE. Another 30% comes from tourist groups. We also have some students going to the UK and people visiting friends in Europe.”

He said Hangzhou's traffic could be a mix of business and workforce-related, with significant outbound traffic to Africa and Europe.

“For Hangzhou, I would say about 30% is business traffic and around 20% is labour-related, as there’s a lot of labour export from this region to Africa and the GCC. We also see a good amount of family visit traffic, especially to Europe, where many Zhejiang- origin communities live in countries like Italy and Spain.”