Emirates Airline has announced plans to increase capacity on a further two European routes by introducing the Airbus A380 on its schedules to the Dutch capital Amsterdam and switching its UK route to Newcastle from an A330-200 to a Boeing 777-300ER. These changes are just part of a major expansion across the continent which has already seen capacity growth and new routes into Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
The carrier’s Dubai – Amsterdam route, which was launched in May 2010 will be operated by an A380 from August 1, 2012 confirms Emirates Airline. It currently utilises a combination of Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER variants on this route arranged in a three-class configuration. The arrival of the Superjumbo will represent a significant increase in capacity with the jet offering seating for 427 passengers across its two decks - 427 seats in Economy, 76 mini-pods in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites.
“To upgrade from a 777 operation to an A380 in a relatively short space of time demonstrates the strong demand from travellers to fly with Emirates and experience our superior products and services,” said Salem Obaidalla, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation, Emirates Airline. “The combination of introducing our largest passenger aircraft onto the route when we already have such an established cargo track record is a formidable partnership, which will benefit tourism and trade between the Netherlands and the UAE.”
Although new to the market from a passenger perspective, Emirates has been flying cargo into Amsterdam since 1994. There is a long history of trade between the Netherlands and the Arab region, and trade between the Netherlands and the UAE runs into billions of US dollars annually with a large number of Dutch companies have a presence in the UAE.
Amsterdam will be the 19th destination to be served by Emirates’ A380s. The airline currently operates the type on its routes to Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Manchester, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Toronto and will start using the aircraft to Tokyo Narita from July this year.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Emirates has confirmed, as has been expected for the past year, that it is to upgrade its Dubai – Newcastle route from an A330-200 to a 777-300ER from September 1, 2012 increasing the number of weekly seats on the route by more than 2,000. The type upgrade will actually occur on the fifth anniversary of the flight’s launch, a period during which almost 700,000 passengers have travelled with the airline to and from North East England.
"Our Newcastle service has come of age and with demand continuing to increase, this is the right time for Emirates to be expanding its capacity from the North East," said Salem Obaidalla. “With the introduction of this larger aircraft, we will offer almost 6,000 seats every week to and from Newcastle. Since we commenced services, more than 175,000 overseas passengers have travelled with Emirates to Newcastle from across our global network, boosting tourism and business in the North East.”
Emirates says its key destinations on this route alongside the O&D demand between Newcastle and Dubai include Bangkok, Sydney, Perth, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Mauritius. The
According to David Laws, Chief Executive Officer, Newcastle International Airport, the route has significantly increased trade between North East England and Asia and the increase from 278-seats to 428-seats will provide additional opportunities to develop this economic relationship further.
“We are absolutely delighted Emirates will begin operating a larger Boeing 777-300ER from the airport on its fifth anniversary year at the airport. Despite challenging economic times, the daily service to Dubai has flourished. It’s very much a sign of confidence in both the North East and in the airport. Since Emirates began operating from Newcastle Airport, trade from the North East to Australasia has increased by more than 65 per cent,” he said.
It is not just about passengers though and the route has become a key transit point for freight. Since the route was launched, Emirates has carried more than 10 million kilos of cargo on the service, helping companies across the region to export their goods across the globe. Popular commodities being shipped include oil rig equipment, car parts, personal effects and pharmaceuticals. The arrival of the 777-300ER will mean cargo capabilities will increase by 22 per cent to over 16,000 kilos per flight.
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