DUBAI, UAE, 24 January 2023: Emirates has taken yet another significant step to reinstate its Australian capacity by increasing service to two major cities – Sydney and Melbourne.
The airline will also restart services to Christchurch, New Zealand, via Sydney, offering a new path for Australians across the trans-Tasman route.
From 26 March, Melbourne will increase from two to three daily services between Emirates’ Dubai hub via Singapore, with a third direct service beginning in Sydney from 1 May. The service increase follows the airline’s recent announcement around double daily flights to Brisbane, starting from 1 June. The huge boost comes amidst another busy period for air travel and as the airline continues to reaffirm its ongoing commitment to growing its services to and from Australia. The two services will operate on a three-class Boeing-777 300ER offering passengers economy, business and first-class seats.
By mid-year, Emirates will operate 63 weekly services to Australia with the capacity to transport more than 55,000 passengers per week to and from its major cities. Melbourne and Sydney flights will be restored to pre-pandemic levels, a significant milestone in the airline’s reinstatement of Australian services. The uplift in capacity supports the revival of tourism by providing travellers with even more access to and from Australia and bolstering trade and business opportunities with the large 22-tonne freight capacity offered by the Boeing 777-300ER.
The newly restored third Dubai-Melbourne service means Emirates is providing a new connectivity option between Singapore and Melbourne to serve strong demand between both cities and offer customers its signature, differentiated product and service experience. The Christchurch service via Sydney, beginning 26 March, will provide the only opportunity for passengers between the two cities to fly on an A380, Emirates’ flagship aircraft.
Emirates Airline chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim said: “Adding a third daily service to Sydney and Melbourne will offer over 500,000 additional seats to and from Australia in a year. To have the two cities operating back at pre-pandemic frequencies is a remarkable milestone and a testament to our longstanding commitment to flying down under.
“For over 25 years, we have provided services for Australia since our first flight to Melbourne in 1996. During this time, we have proudly transported over 40 million passengers and continued flying to Australia during the pandemic. We continue to record significant demand for our services, so we’re dedicated to offering Australians and travellers more options to travel, including our new Premium Economy cabin, with Australia being one of the first markets to be offered this class.”
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus added: “We’re thrilled that Emirates is enhancing its commitment to Melbourne. The resumption of the Melbourne to Singapore route means Emirates will operate three daily flights from Melbourne, returning to pre-Covid levels of capacity.
“It’s great news for customers as it provides extra capacity for the strong demand we see for travel from Melbourne to Europe and Asia. It’s also great news for Victorian exporters, with the Boeing 777-300 aircraft providing additional freight opportunities into Asia and the Middle East.”
Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert noted: “We welcome this additional capacity on the Sydney to Dubai route, which will also give passengers access to Emirates’ extensive global network.
“These extra flights are another important step towards Australia’s international aviation recovery, providing much-needed additional capacity to meet the high demand for travel. It is great to see that both visitors and Australians will have more choices available in time for the start of the European summer and the NSW winter school holidays.
“We are also pleased to see the A380 return on the trans-Tasman after a three-year hiatus, adding extra seats to meet the strong appetite for travel between Sydney and New Zealand.”
Back in business
Sydney – Dubai: third daily nonstop service
From 1 May 2023, Emirates will add a third daily flight between Dubai and Sydney, served by a Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates flight EK416 will depart Dubai at 2130, arriving in Sydney at 1720 the next day. The return flight EK417 will depart Sydney at 2010, arriving in Dubai at 0430. The airline currently serves Sydney with double daily A380 flights, and both services offer the airline’s highly acclaimed Premium Economy experience for customers.
Melbourne – Dubai: third daily service via Singapore
Emirates continues to build on its long-term commitment to stimulating tourism and trade in Victoria with the addition of a third daily flight to Melbourne via Singapore, starting 26 March 2023. The third flight will operate as EK404 using a Boeing 777-300ER and depart Dubai at 2115, arriving in Singapore at 0850. The flight will continue to Melbourne, taking off at 1025 from Singapore, arriving at 2035 local time. The return service to Dubai EK405 takes off from Melbourne at 0325, arriving in Singapore at 0815. The flight will then take off for Dubai at 0940, arriving at 1300 local time.
A restart of Christchurch via Sydney
Emirates will restart services to Christchurch via Sydney from 26 March 2023, and the A380 flight will operate as EK412 and EK413. Emirates flight EK412 departs Dubai at 1015, arriving in Sydney at 0700. The flight will then continue, taking off from Sydney at 0845 and arriving in Christchurch at 1350. EK413 will then depart Christchurch at 1820, arriving in Sydney at 1940. The final leg of EK413 will depart to Dubai at 2145, arriving at 0515 local time. Customers in Christchurch will not only be able to enjoy the airline’s flagship aircraft. Still, they will also have double the opportunity to experience the debut of the highly sought-after Premium Economy cabin and the latest products across every class of travel.
Bookings can be made on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents.
(Your Stories: Emirates)
