The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council is pleased to direct your attention to the launch of non-stop flights between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The inaugural flight arrived at 3:25 pm on Tuesday, August 5th following an 9:45 am departure from Dubai. The return flight took-off from O’Hare at 8:35 pm and arrive back in Dubai at 7:10 pm the next day. Emirates’ daily non-stop service will utilize a Boeing 777-200LR, powered by GE engines, to fuel the 15-hour trip from the United Arab Emirates to Chicago. According to a statement from the Mayor of Chicago’s office in February, the new Emirates’ service is expected to deliver an economic impact of close to $200 million annually. The new flight marks Emirates’ ninth non-stop destination in the United States.

Water cannon salute announcing the arrival of the inaugural Emirates Airline Dubai-Chicago non-stop flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on Tuesday, August 5, 2014.

“This is good news for trade and tourism for both cities, and jobs that rely on both, as well as for consumers who will benefit from greater competitive choice,” said Emirates President Tim Clark in a statement announcing the flights earlier this year.

Emirates began passenger services to America in 2004 with the launch of daily non-stop flights from New York JFK to Dubai, and now offers daily flights to Washington, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston.

Rosemarie Andolino, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation, welcomes Emirates Airline’s inaugural flight and says it will bring $200m in new revenue a year to the city of Chicago.

A June 2014 update to the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s 2013 report, “U.S.-U.A.E. Commercial Aviation: Taking Flight,” found that the U.S. and U.A.E. continue to share the world’s fastest growing bilateral commercial aviation relationship over the last decade. In 2013 alone, commercial aviation-related exports were the largest subset of products that fueled a banner year in U.S.-U.A.E. trade totaling $26.9 billion.

For more information, click HERE or view the official Emirates press release HERE.