The Emirates operation in Ireland is gearing up for its busiest month since February 2020 and flights from Dublin to Dubai and onwards to eastern destinations are booking fast for Christmas.
“Bookings for December have been brisk and we are almost at full capacity for the whole month of December and right into January,” said Enda Corneille, country manager, Emirates, Ireland, speaking at a media briefing this morning, 23 November.
“While this would not have been unusual pre-2020, it’s a significant boost to our operations in Dublin and indeed our sector, following a turbulent 20 months. It’s heartening to finally be able to say, with some confidence, that the outlook for 2022 is positive.
Passengers flying with Emirates next month include holidaymakers seeking winter sun, honeymooners and Asian and Australian nationals studying or working in Ireland, many of whom have not been able to travel home for almost two years.
Game-changer
“The partial reopening of Australian borders has been a game-changer and we have seen a 197% increase in bookings to Sydney and Melbourne since the easing of restrictions there,” said Corneille.
“And passenger traffic is two-way as Irish ex-pats in Australia can now come home to family and friends for the holidays with confidence, knowing they can return without restriction.”
The Dubai to Sydney route is once again being serviced by the airline’s flagship A380 aircraft and it is expected that the A380 will also be redeployed on the Melbourne route from February 2022.
“This is good news for the aviation sector and great news for Emirates customers, as the airline seeks to sustainably rebuild capacity and connectivity across its network,” said Corneille.
“We have no dates as yet for the resumption of our double daily service from Dublin. The further lifting of restrictions in Australia, and other markets, will be central to that decision and I’m hopeful that we will be able to continue rebuilding our schedule from Dublin next year.”
Daily Dublin service
Having reduced its service to just two weekly flights at the start of the pandemic, Emirates is currently operating a daily service between Dublin and Dubai and onwards to more than 120 destinations. The top two destinations for Ireland’s holidaymakers this season are Dubai and the Maldives, with Dubai attracting almost 70% of all passenger traffic.
“There are a number of factors driving travel to Dubai,” added Corneille. “The guaranteed sunshine, outdoor lifestyle, Expo 2020 Dubai, which has already welcomed 3M visitors since it opened in October and of course, vaccine uptake,” he said.
Thailand has seen a spike in bookings since the recent lifting of restrictions for vaccinated visitors and next week, Emirates’ A380 service will return to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to meet the strong passenger demand.
Major Retrofit
In 2020 Emirates introduced a premium economy cabin, which it plans to extend to its entire fleet from the end of 2022.
105 aircraft – 52 A380s and 53 777s – will be retrofitted with the premium economy cabin.
