Dubai’s national airline Emirates is to begin daily flights between Dublin and the Gulf from January next.
This will be the first route to Ireland for Emirates, although Emirates SkyCargo already operates here, primarily carrying goods through Manchester.
The service, which will be using an Airbus A330-200, will provide onward links to India, Africa, South East Asia, Australasia and China.
“The improvements in Dublin airport’s facilities in recent years was a major factor in winning this new service for Ireland,” said Dublin Airport Authority CEO Declan Collier.