Airlines

Emirates ramps up operations across continents

Emirates has boosted operations by 31% (total ASKMs) since the start of its financial year and has further plans to ramp up seat capacity in its latest published northern summer schedule starting 26 March 2023.

Emirates will offer A380 service on flights to Bengaluru for the first time(Opens in a new browser tab)

In the past months, the airline has planned and executed the rapid growth of its network operations – reintroducing services to 5 cities; launching flights to 1 new destination (Tel Aviv), adding 251 weekly flights onto existing routes; and continuing the roll-out of service enhancements in the air and on the ground.

Upcoming A380 deployments in Northern Summer 2023 season:

Emirates continues to scale up its A380 operations with the reintroduction of the iconic double-decker across its network: Glasgow (from 26 March), Casablanca from (15 April), Beijing (from 01 May), Shanghai (from 04 June), Nice (from 1 June), Birmingham (from 1 July), Kuala Lumpur (from 01 August), and Taipei (from 01 August).

Upcoming route enhancements by region:

Europe

Amsterdam: from 14 to 19 weekly flights starting 02 April.
Athens: Addition of a daily seasonal service to serve summer demand between 01 June to 30 September.
Bologna: from 5 flights a week to a daily service starting 01 May.
Budapest: from 5 flights a week to a daily service by 01 June.
London: start of 2^nd daily service to London Stansted on 01 May. This will take Emirates’ London operations to 11 daily flights – including 6 times daily to London Heathrow and 3 times daily to Gatwick.
Venice: from 5 to 6 flights a week from 26 March, increasing to a daily service from 01 June.

Africa

Cairo: from 25 to 28 weekly flights by 29October.
Dar es Salaam: from 5 flights a week to daily flights starting 01 May.
Entebbe: from 6 flights a week to daily flights starting 01 July.

Australia and New Zealand

Emirates’ non-stop Australia flights will return to pre-pandemic levels to Sydney from 01 May, Melbourne from 26 March, and Brisbane on 01 June.

Brisbane: An additional daily service starting 01 June will take Emirates to 14 flights per week to Brisbane.
Christchurch: restart of daily service from Dubai via Sydney from 26 March.
Melbourne: addition of 3^rd daily service to Melbourne from 26 March via Singapore. This adds capacity to Melbourne and re-establishes connectivity between Singapore and Melbourne. The other 2 daily flights from Melbourne fly non-stop to Dubai.
Sydney: addition of 3^rd daily non-stop service from 01 May.

East Asia

Bangkok: Addition of 5^th daily service from 01 August.
Beijing: To commence daily non-stop Boeing 777-300ER service from 15 March, upgrading to an A380 effective 01 May. A second daily service will commence effective 01 September with an A380.
Hong Kong: Addition of a daily non-stop flight from 29 March. This increases Emirates’ operations to 14 weekly flights including its existing daily Dubai-Bangkok-Hong Kong service.
Kuala Lumpur: Addition of a third daily service from 01 June.
Tokyo: Resumption of services to Tokyo Haneda with daily flights on 02 April. This takes Emirates’ Japan operations to 21 weekly flights including a daily A380 service to Tokyo-Narita and a daily Boeing 777 service to Osaka.

Airlines

PIA Reinstates Manchester and Paris Routes After EU Ban Lift

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced plans to resume flights to Europe starting in January, beginning with Paris as its first destination.

The decision follows the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) removal of a long-standing ban on the airline. PIA’s inaugural flight to Paris is scheduled for January 10, with bookings opening on December 9.

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In an official statement, PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Khan confirmed that the first flight schedule has been approved, marking a significant milestone in the airline’s recovery efforts. The EU ban had previously cost PIA approximately Rs40 billion ($144 million) annually in lost revenue, compounding its financial struggles.

With European operations restarting, PIA is now setting its sights on the United Kingdom. The airline plans to seek approval from the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to resume flights to major British cities such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham.

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These routes are anticipated to see high demand once necessary clearances are obtained. The lifting of the EU ban represents a key achievement for PIA as it works to rebuild its international network and regain its standing in the global aviation market.

By restoring flights to Europe and aiming for UK destinations, PIA is taking critical steps toward recovering lost ground and improving its financial outlook.