| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 19/11/01 |
| Author: | Page Number: 6 |
| Copyright: Other |
New routes
Emirates defies downturn with strong loads
Loaded: Emirates is considering an increase to its UK services
EMIRATES claims it is bucking the trend by maintaining strong load factors in the wake of the downturn in the aviation market.
Speaking at the launch of five new routes, senior general manager commercial operations Europe and North America Nigel Page said its load factors were 68%.
“I would like to see another airline that could boast these load factors. For the first two weeks in November we carried 11.7% more passengers than the corresponding time last year,” he said.
The Dubai-based airline is launching new non-stop routes from Dubai to Perth and Casablanca in August 2002, Mauritius and Khartoum, Sudan, in September and Osaka in October.
It is also considering increasing the frequency of its UK services. It currently operates three flights a day from Heathrow, one from Gatwick, one from Manchester and one from Birmingham.
Meanwhile, the carrier has launched an agents incentive with the chance to earn points towards a trip to Dubai with every flight terminating in Dubai or UK to Johannesburg flights over the next three months.