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.

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.

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In the coming months, established routes to Europe, Australia and Africa will be served with more Emirates flights, while in East Asia, more cities are seeing route restarts.

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

Sanctions & Engine Issues Ground Half of Russia’s A320neo fleet

Russia’s aviation sector, already strained by Western sanctions, faces another setback as nearly half of its Airbus A320neo family aircraft are grounded due to unresolved engine issues.

This development highlights the growing challenges for russia commercial aircraft in maintaining their fleets under the weight of global restrictions and limited access to spare parts.

Out of the 66 Airbus A320neo and A321neo jets in Russia, 34 are now out of service, according to the Kommersant business newspaper. These planes are powered by engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of RTX Corporation.

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The engines are affected by a previously identified defect in the metal used for certain parts, prompting accelerated inspections and maintenance.

Sanctions have compounded the issue, blocking the supply of essential components from major manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus. Without proper maintenance, experts warn that these aircraft may face decommissioning as early as 2026.

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Airlines like S7, which operates a significant portion of these grounded jets, plan to conserve the engines for future use during peak travel seasons. However, reports suggest that over 20 of S7’s Airbus planes have engines that have already reached the end of their operational lifespan. Recently, russia seeks assistance from kazakhstan’s airlines to bolster its domestic flights.

While some A320neo and A321neo planes in Russia are equipped with French-made LEAP engines, which are seen as less problematic, the challenges remain daunting.

The situation underscores the long-term impact of sanctions on Russia’s aviation sector and the increasing difficulties in keeping its modern fleets operational.