Emirates drops plans to operate Dubai-Mexico flights

Airline said it will no longer be commercially viable to go ahead with the plan

Emirates has dropped plans to operate flights between Dubai and Mexico City, the airline confirmed yesterday.

The carrier had earlier announced it was looking forward to expanding its network in Latin America by launching a service between the two cities.

Emirates intended to fly from Dubai to Barcelona then to Mexico City.

In March this year, Spain approved Emirates’ Fifth Freedom flights to Mexico City from Barcelona, prompting another airline to withdraw planned services on the same route.

However, Emirates said yesterday it will no longer be commercially viable to go ahead with the plan, since it only managed to secure rights to operate three flights a week, not daily.

The airline said a thrice weekly service will not be good for business, given resource investments required for such a long-distance operation. “Emirates regrets to confirm that we have withdrawn our application to operate flights from Dubai to Mexico via an intermediate stop in Spain,” the airline said in a statement to Gulf News.

‘Slots not an issue’

“Emirates has extended full flexibility in proposing an operating schedule that utilises low demand slots at Mexico City International Airport. However, despite previous assurances that slots were not an issue at the flight timings requested, the Mexican authorities have informed us that we will not be able to operate daily services, but only three flights a week.”

The new service would have benefited consumers and businesses in Spain, Mexico and the UAE, the spokesperson noted. Mexico became a major UAE trade partner in the 1970s and in 2008 the UAE opened its diplomatic mission in Mexico City.

“Our teams have been working hard with various stakeholders to bring this service to fruition in the three years since the Mexican president invited Emirates to operate this route and open new air links to connect Mexico to the Middle East, as well as key economic markets in Africa and Asia,” Emirates said.

...despite previous assurances that slots were not an issue at the flight timings requested, the Mexican authorities have informed us that we will not be able to operate daily services, but only three flights a week.” Emirates airline spokesperson