Emirates eyes 100% network, capacity

Emirates airline expects to reach the 100 per cent mark in terms of passenger capacity and network coverage 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 during pre-covid times 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.

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 our fleet) that is taking away some aircraft. Our objective is to do it as soon as we can,” added Kazim.

On November 1, Emirates began a massive multi-billion-dollar, two-year retrofit programme with work starting on the first of 120 aircraft earmarked for a full cabin 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 their Dubaibound flights in November to accommodate the increased flow of tourists and football fans flocking to Dubai to watch the Fifa World Cup.

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