Emirates is ready to make its world’s largest A380 fleet take to the skies again. Furthermore, the Dubai-based airline plans to go further with its partnership with FlyDubai. Let’s see what these airlines have in store.
The A380 and the pandemic
For the time being, flying the majestic A380 is quite a challenge. However, Emirates is doing its best to fly 15 to 20 of them every week.
Tim Clark, Emirates president, expects an increase in passenger demand in the months to come, maybe next summer or autumn 2021. For this reason, he has a team of engineers constantly monitoring the airline’s world’s largest fleet of A380s to have it ready to fly Emirates’ customers to their destinations all over the world.
The A380 is without any doubt Emirates’ flagship. The Arabic airline chose it as the first plane to feature the brand new premium economy cabin. However, the airline is now switching to newer and more efficient aircraft, such as the Boeing 777X, the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350.
Nonetheless, while other airlines are grounding the plane for good, planning not to take it back into service, Emirates is still being delivered the plane type, with the last one expected to join Emirates’ fleet next year, in May 2022.
The partnership with Flydubai
Emirates and Flydubai expect to fly to 168 destinations by the end of May. This expanding network fosters Dubai’s recovery as one of the world’s most relevant travel and tourism hub. The two airlines reconfirmed their codeshare partnership in September 2020. Since then, 500,000 passengers have flown with them. The most popular destinations on the combined network are Kabul, Kathmandu, Kyiv, the Maldives and Zanzibar.
The brands will remain separate, but going forward the airlines will operate far more at the hip then perhaps was done in the past”
These were Emirates’ president’s words during the online-held Arab Travel Market conference (24-26 May 2021). During this occasion, Sir Clark pointed the attention to the flexibility of the two airlines’ combined fleet of 737s, ERs and, in the future, the much-awaited A350.
Once passengers’ demand will escalate and states worldwide will gradually lift their travel restrictions, Emirates and Flydubai will fly to 400 destinations from their Dubai hub.
What do you think of this partnership? Let us know in the comments below!