Emirates Increases Australian Service as Demand Soars

DALLAS – Emirates has increased its service to two major cities, Sydney and Melbourne, marking yet another important step in restoring its Australian capacity. 

Additionally, the airline will resume operations to Christchurch, New Zealand, through Sydney, giving Australians a new trans-Tasman route.

With the addition of a third direct flight to Sydney starting on May 1, Melbourne's two daily services between EK's Dubai base and Singapore will rise to three beginning on March 26. 

The airline recently announced double daily flights to Brisbane, beginning on June 1. The service increase comes in response to that announcement.

The significant increase occurs at a time when air travel is at its busiest and as the airline continues to reiterate its continued commitment to expanding services to and from Australia. The three-class Boeing 777-300ER that will carry the two routes will provide passengers with seats in Economy, Business, and First Class. 

By the middle of the year, Emirates will be running 63 weekly flights to Australia, with a weekly passenger capacity of more than 55,000 between its major cities.

Returning to Pre-pandemic Levels

When flights between Melbourne and Sydney resume at pre-pandemic levels, the airline will have reached a significant milestone in its return to Australian services. 

By allowing more travelers to reach and leave Australia, the increased capacity enhances trade and economic possibilities. The large 22-ton freight capacity of the Boeing 777-300ER also contributes to the tourism sector's resurgence.

Thanks to the recently reinstated third Dubai-Melbourne route, EK is now providing a new connectivity option between Singapore and Melbourne to satisfy the increased demand between the two cities. 

Starting on March 26, only the Christchurch service via Sydney will allow passengers to board an A380, EK's flagship aircraft, between the two cities.

Comments from Emirates Officials

“Over 500,000 more tickets will be available to and from Australia every year with the launch of a third daily route to Sydney and Melbourne,” said Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates. 

“The fact that the two cities are now operating at pre-pandemic frequency is a fantastic achievement in our restoration of Australia's capacity and evidence of our steadfast dedication to flying there.

“Since our first trip to Melbourne in 1996, we have offered services to Australia for more than 25 years. We are happy to have flown to Australia throughout the pandemic and have proudly transported over 40 million people during this time.”

Lorie Argus, CEO of Melbourne Airport, says, “We are ecstatic that Emirates is strengthening its ties to Melbourne. With the restoration of the Melbourne to Singapore service, Emirates will resume its pre-Covid levels of capacity with three daily flights from Melbourne.”

“Customers will be happy to hear that there will be more capacity available to meet the high demand for travel from Melbourne to Europe and Asia.The Boeing 777-300 aircraft offers further freight prospects into Asia and the Middle East, which is fantastic news for Victorian exporters.”

Trans-Tasman Return 

Sydney Airport CEO, Geoff Culbert, says “We are happy to have this extra capacity on the Sydney to Dubai route, which will also allow travelers access to Emirates' vast international network.

“These additional flights are a crucial milestone in Australia's international aviation recovery since they add much-needed capacity to handle the increased demand for travel.”

“In order to accommodate the high demand for travel between Sydney and New Zealand, we are also happy to see the A380 return to the trans-Tasman after a three-year absence.”

Emirates has traveled to/from Australia for more than 25 years, expanding its network of destinations through its center in Dubai since 1996 to include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

The airline also runs a daily A380 route to Perth.

Travel back seven years with Mateo Legnani as he compares Emirate's workhorse on the same routes in our September 2015 issue of Airways Magazine.

https://airwaysmag.com/product/september-2015/

Featured image: A6-EGT, EMIRATES BOEING 777-300ER, KEWR EWR. Photo: Yifei Yu/Airways