The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) national carrier Emirates airline has announced reduction in fares to 20 cities in the Middle East, Gulf, Far East and Europe.

Lower fares are being implemented on more than 30 flights to destinations in Europe, Far East and the Middle East including Manila, Dhaka, Jakarta, London Gatwick, and China, according to an Emirates statement.

The airline's move comes in the wake of recent softening of oil prices.

"We are glad to be able to revise some of our fares with the recent lowering of fuel prices," Adnan Kazim, the Dubai-based airline's senior vice-president commercial operations for Gulf, Middle East and Iran, said in the statement.

"Although fuel prices have fallen gradually in recent weeks, it is still some 60 percent above the average price per barrel in 2007," he said.

He, however, added that high fuel prices continued to be a big challenge for Emirates, and that the airline was monitoring the situation closely.

Emirates fares from Dubai to Cairo, Beirut, Damascus and Amman will go down by four percent.

Travellers in the Middle East will also see lower fares on Emirates flights to points in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The airline currently operates flights to 101 cities across six continents.

In the Middle East and GCC, its network covers 15 cities with over 200 flights weekly.