Emirates Airlines officially launched daily direct flights between Dubai and Shenzhen on Tuesday, marking a significant milestone as the first Middle East carrier to offer scheduled daily service to the southern Chinese city.
The new route, operated by a refurbished Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, features flight EK328 departing Dubai at 10:05 local time and arriving in Shenzhen at 22:00, with return flight EK329 leaving Shenzhen at 23:55 and arriving in Dubai at 03:40 the following day.
With this addition, Shenzhen becomes the fourth Chinese mainland city - after Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou - to host Emirates nonstop flights.
Orhan Abbas, Emirates' Senior Vice President for commercial operations, said that the new route shows the importance of the Chinese market for the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based airline.
"We are building a corridor for trade, culture from China to the rest of the network. Our commitment to growing in China today (is proven) with our start of operations to Shenzhen. We, last year, carried one million passengers in 2024 between the UAE and China and 117,000 tons of cargo. That shows you the strength of Emirates in China and to China," he said.
Business representatives from both Dubai and Shenzhen highlighted the airline's pivotal role in enhancing trade and tourism connectivity between the UAE and China.
"For the tourism, it's opened up a huge potential for this city. As you can see, the city we are rapidly transforming from tech town to a well-rounded destination. We have world-class architecture and the dynamic luxury fine dining options, and luxury shopping and the coastal sceneries, which we believe will highly attract all those leisure travelers and international business travelers," said Solomon Carter, General Manager of Conrad Shenzhen.
"Last year, we witnessed a very healthy growth compared to 2023 in bilateral trade, which reached around 90 percent growth. So, having 80.7 billion US dollars of bilateral trade between Dubai and China. So, having direct access to a city of innovation, a city that's globally recognized as one of the most innovative and high-tech cities will definitely benefit the bilateral trade and will add a very important angle of the growth of services between the two cities, especially in digital economy," said Mohammad Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers.
Emirates launches Dubai-Shenzhen daily route
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
