Dubai flights: Emirates expects to reach 100% capacity next year

Aviation sector sees strong recovery in post-pandemic period; airlines have added over 110,000 seats to Dubai routes in November for increased flow of Fifa fans

by

Waheed Abbas

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Published: Mon 28 Nov 2022, 3:21 PM

Emirates airline expects to reach 100 per cent capacity and network next year as the aviation sector continues to recover at an exponential pace in the post- pandemic period.

“We managed to put almost 80 per cent of capacity back to where it was pre-Covid time and also managed to recover almost 95 per cent of our network. We will continue to deploy more aircraft on the network,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, Emirates.


Kazim was speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Dubai-based carrier’s first ‘Emirates World’ retail store experience, where customers can buy its merchandise and travel accessories as well as enjoy a virtual experience of the airline’s onboard products before buying them from the store.

“We are looking to achieve 100 per cent capacity and network level by the end of next year. We are going through a major retrofit of the aircraft that is taking away some of the aircraft. Our objective is to do it as soon as we can,” added Kazim.


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On November 1, 2022, Emirates began its massive multi-billion dollar two-year retrofit programme with work starting on the first of 120 aircraft earmarked for a full cabin interior upgrade and the installation of the airline’s latest Premium Economy seats. In addition to recruiting 190 additional staff for the project, Emirates is also engaged with 62 key partners and suppliers who have hired hundreds more skilled hands for the biggest-known aircraft retrofit programme in modern commercial aviation.

The aviation sector has been seeing a strong recovery in the post-pandemic period. Airlines from around the world added over 110,000 seats to on Dubai route in November to accommodate the increased flow of tourists and football fans who flocked to Dubai to watch the Fifa World Cup.

Last week, Dubai Airports also revised upward passenger traffic forecast for 2022 after Dubai International (DXB) airport’s traffic returned to the pre-pandemic level in the third quarter.


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