Airline Emirates has revealed that it has flown over 2.8 million people across 10,000 planes between Dublin and Dubai since it launched a service between the two cities on January 9, 2012.
Emirates said that the Dublin-Dubai route launch has been one of the most successful in the airline's 37 year history and, despite reducing operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, country manager Emirates, Ireland, Enda Corneille is confident that the frequency of services will increase as travel demand rises.
At present, Emirates operates a daily service between Dublin and Dubai, and onwards to over 120 destinations.
Country Manager Emirates, Ireland, Statements
Corneille stated, "When we launched in Ireland 10 years ago, we were in the midst of a global recession and today, as we mark a major milestone, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. Back in 2012 there were those who couldn't understand the rationale for launching the Dublin operation given the economic circumstances of the time. However, meticulous planning, a long-term vision, and the confidence both Emirates and our customers have in our product and service have proved the naysayers wrong."
Corneille continued, "The Christmas and New Year periods were really busy - bookings for Sydney and Melbourne alone were up 197% for the period - and the outlook for 2022/23 is extremely positive. Factors such as the reopening of Australia, people visiting relatives and friends that they may not have seen in two years and pent-up demand for holidays is driving demand. Globally we are rebuilding our network safely and in line with international guidelines and have already restored more than 90% of our network. We are in a very strong position to meet the growth in demand as we emerge from two years of travel restrictions."
Corneille concluded, "The past 10 years have been exciting and the challenges we have faced have demonstrated just how flexible, agile and able an airline of Emirates' size can be. This can be attributed to the strength of the Emirates brand, fantastic people, an outstanding product and service and continued investment in technology and innovation. Our recent half-year results highlighted that we are well on the road to recovery with healthy revenue and a solid cash balance.
"If there has ever been a time to celebrate and recognise success it's now. We are looking forward to getting together with our industry colleagues, later in the year, to mark our ten-year anniversary and look ahead to new milestones such as new aircraft, new route launches and renewed growth and success."
Cargo
Additionally, Emirates stated that it has carried 130,000 tonnes of cargo between Dublin and Dubai over the past decade, including 72,000 tonnes of Irish exports.
© 2022 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
