Jan. 15--Luxury airline Emirates, which began flying from O'Hare International Airport to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in August, this spring will use larger Boeing aircraft that will hold 33 percent more passengers, the carrier said Thursday.
Emirates on May 1 will begin flying the larger Boeing 777-300ER on the route instead of the 777-200LR, adding 88 more seats in economy class.
"Emirates has seen steady growth and strong customer demand for our Chicago route since its launch only five months ago," said Hubert Frach, Emirates divisional senior vice president of commercial operations for the West.
The airline launched its Chicago service, its ninth U.S. destination, Aug. 5. Emirates said it so far has carried 66,000 passengers and 3,410 tons of cargo between Chicago and Dubai.
Emirates is the largest operator of Boeing 777 jets in the world.
Emirates competes at O'Hare with U.S. carriers and other airlines from the Middle East, such as Qatar and Etihad.
Emirates also has dedicated freighter service that operates twice a week from O'Hare.
gkarp@tribpub.com
Twitter @spendingsmart
