Emirates will begin flying to Bogota, Colombia, the airline said Wednesday.
But there’s a twist.
Instead of flying nonstop from its hub in Dubai, the glitzy Gulf carrier will operate via Miami. This means it’ll offer a “fifth-freedom” flight between the South Florida city and Colombia.
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A fifth-freedom flight is operated by an airline between two countries, neither of which is the airline’s home country.
The flight will operate daily starting June 3, the airline said. Tickets are already on sale.
In addition to the direct route between Dubai and Bogota, travelers can book the new flight between Miami and Bogota.
Emirates joins a competitive route, with an average of nine daily flights in each direction. American Airlines flies each way three times per day in June, according to data from Cirium. Avianca and LATAM operate multiple daily flights as well.
While most of the existing flights are on narrow-body Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, Avianca uses a wide-body Boeing 787-8 for one of its daily flights; it features 28 business-class seats in a 1-2-1 layout.
Emirates, on the other hand, will fly its Boeing 777-300ER, which is fully equipped with the airline’s stellar first-class suites and lie-flat business-class seats.
Related: Emirates first class still wows: Fully enclosed suites and unlimited caviar
However, the fifth-freedom flight doesn’t mean travelers can try Emirates’ swanky first-class product for a lower price than on the airline’s existing routes. At the time of publication, round-trip fares between Miami and Bogota were listed at $13,870 for the sub-four-hour flight.
In its announcement, the airline preferred to focus on the broader connectivity between Dubai and Bogota rather than the fifth-freedom route.
“We’ve long wanted to serve Colombia, and the addition of Bogotá to our network is part of our strategy to deliver better connectivity, expand options and choice for travellers and provide unparalleled premium experiences on the ground and in the air,” Emirates President Sir Tim Clark said in a statement.
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“There is a huge demand for travel to and from Bogotá and we can’t wait for customers to experience Emirates’ signature products and services on the flights between Bogotá and Dubai as well as between Bogotá and Miami,” he added.
A nonstop flight between Dubai and Bogota was not feasible due to the Colombian capital’s high elevation, the airline said. Air is thinner at higher elevations, lowering the maximum takeoff weight for aircraft. The amount of fuel required between Bogota and Dubai would be too heavy, meaning a stop somewhere would be necessary.
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