Emirates restores some capacity on US routes

DUBAI: Emirates is increasing the number of flights on some US routes it had reduced last May after Washingtonimposed travel restrictions weakened demand.

Flights to Florida cities Fort Lauderdale and Orlando from its Dubai hub will each return to a daily service from March 25 after having been cut back to five a week last year.

Emirates said the increase reflected the “steady rebound in customer demand.”

The Middle East’s largest airline is also adding a new daily direct Boeing 777 service to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey from June 1 but dropping one of its four daily Airbus A380 flights to nearby New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport from March 25.

Emirates already operates a daily flight to Newark via Athens from Dubai, and one of its remaining three daily New York flights is operated via Milan from Dubai.

Emirates reduced frequencies to five US cities last year, blaming a drop in demand caused by attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to ban citizens of some Muslim countries from entering the US, and restrictions on carrying large electronic items onboard flights to the US.

The restrictions mainly affected Middle East carriers, including Emirates.

The airline also reduced the number of flights it operated to Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Emirates President Tim Clark said in June that the demand on US routes had started to come back and that the airline was looking at restoring Boston and Seattle frequencies.