The new facility, Emirates Online , which next year will be made available for passengers at the airliner's more than 50 flight destinations around the world, will gradually be complemented by other services to boost e-commerce and the travel industry in the region. I envisage that e-commerce will play a much bigger role in Emirates, as we continue to harness the advantages of technology to fuel our growth. We intend to introduce Emirates Online at many locations across our network within the coming year, and to extend the facility beyond airline booking.
Online booking is the latest Web initiatives taken by the company.
In June, the airliner became the first in the world to offer international, Internet-based bookings for cargo. Emirates also developed a major e-business unit within its Information Technology division, and set up an Extranet to link contracted advertising and public relations agencies worldwide. Ghaith Al Ghaith, commercial operations director of Emirates, said that the airliner viewed e-commerce with great optimism as being a way forward for businesses in Dubai to develop stronger international status. Bookings for up to four persons per trip and up to three trips per day can be made with one credit card. Emirates Online was already setting a benchmark for the new generation approach to travel arrangements in this part of the world, which will place Dubai closer to the Internet savvy world, said Al Ghaith.