EMIRATES airline is adding 22 weekly flights to India, supporting the Indian government’s growth plan to attract 100 million travellers in 2010.

The existing service of 163 flights per week to 10 Indian gateways will be strengthened to 185 over the summer and winter periods, with the high demand routes of Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram to be the chief beneficiaries.

Emirates’ expansion programme closely follows its ‘Journey through India’ campaign which involved a major revamp of the inflight product to meet regional preferences of India’s diverse populace.

Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ vice president, Commercial Operations West Asia and Indian Ocean said, 'The global slowdown is not over yet, but the outlook for the future is showing signs of improvement. When traditional European markets dried up, India was quick to refocus its trade and marketing efforts in targeting regions not severely affected by the economic downturn such as the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.'

'Already, Emirates is witnessing a surge in the number of Middle East travellers seeking medical tourism options in India, given the favourable exchange rate and world-class facilities available,' he said.

Three flights were added to Ahmedabad in June and another three flights start on October 26. Emirates’ Chennai service will become a triple daily with the addition of two flights between October and December this year. Kolkata is a key gateway for business and leisure travellers from the Middle East and Europe seeking easier passage to North-East India. Emirates will enhance connectivity to the city with five additional flights from December 3, bringing its total frequency to 12 per week.