Dubai-based carrier Emirates will restart flights to Gatwick from December 10 in response to rising demand amid the easing of international travel restrictions.
Its second London gateway will see a daily flight operated by a B777 aircraft, across first, business and economy class.
Flight EK015 will depart Dubai at 07:40 and arrive at Gatwick at 11:40, then flight EK016 will depart Gatwick at 13:35 and arrive in Dubai at 00:40 the following day.
The resumption of Gatwick services in December will restore Emirates’ UK operations to six gateways, alongside the six-times-daily A380 Heathrow service; double-daily A380 flights to Manchester, 10 weekly services to Birmingham, daily service to Glasgow, and four weekly services to Newcastle.
By the end of December, the airline will offer 84 weekly flights to the UK – close to 90% of Emirates’ pre-pandemic network.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, said: “With the UK simplifying travel and accepting international vaccination certificates, we’ve seen a big surge in demand as people have been a lot more confident in booking trips for the coming months and further ahead, be it for business, a winter sun escape or to visit family and friends.”
Stephen King, head of airline relations at Gatwick, added: “Emirates has been a hugely popular airline for Gatwick passengers and it’s fantastic that we are once again able to offer passengers across London and the southeast the opportunity to connect with Dubai and beyond.”
With UK announcing it will accept vaccination certificates from 55 countries including the UAE from October 4, vaccinated travellers arriving in the UK no longer need to self-isolate.