Dubai’s Emirates Airline is all set to add over 2,000 seats a week to and from Newcastle when it deploys a much larger aircraft on its daily flight to Dubai. Boeing 777-300ER will replace Airbus A330-200 from September 1.
Emirates Airline, one of the world’s fastest growing carriers, has announced plans to expand at Newcastle Airport.
The airline will offer additional 2,000 seats a week to and from Newcastle, UK when it starts plying a larger aircraft on its daily flight to Dubai from September 1, 2012.
The upgrade comes on the 5th anniversary of the Emirates’ route launch. As per reports, as many as 700,000 passengers have travelled with airline to and from the North East of England since September, 2007.
The Dubai-based airline is currently operating a 278-seat Airbus A330-200 on the route. Airbus A330-200 will be replaced by the 428-seat Boeing 777-300ER – the longest aircraft to ever operate from Newcastle. With a capacity enhancement of more than 50 percent, the move is sure to interest travellers who seek comparatively cheap flight tickets to and from Newcastle.
The seat increase means that annually more than 100,000 passengers will be able to travel on flights to and from Dubai or connect on to far-flung popular holiday destinations in Australia, the Far East and the Indian Ocean.
The aircraft will feature a two-class travel configuration with an option of 42 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 386 seats in Economy Class, which means there will be enough seats for those who seek luxury as well as for those who prefer relatively cheap flight tickets.
“Our Newcastle service has come of age and with demand continuing to increase, this is the right time for Emirates to be expanding its capacity from the North East,” Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ senior vice president, Commercial Operations, Europe and Russian Federation, was quoted as saying in online news reports.
“With the introduction of this larger aircraft, we will offer almost 6,000 seats every week to and from Newcastle,” Obaidalla added.
Emirates said flights to Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Perth, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Mauritius are the key destinations for North East travellers.
The airline’s fleet includes 65 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in service and an additional 86 on order.
Cargo Capacity to Go Up Too
The deployment of the much larger aircraft on the route is not only going to benefit holiday travellers but is also going to swell the cargo carrying capacity on the route. Since the route was launched in 2007, Emirates has carried over 10 million kilos of cargo. The use of the larger aircraft will result in an increase of some 22 percent in cargo carrying capacity on the route.
Oil rig equipment, car parts and pharmaceuticals are popular commodities being carried.
Dave Laws, Newcastle International Airport’s Chief Executive, said: “This is a very significant announcement for Newcastle International.
“Despite challenging economic times, the daily service to Dubai has flourished. The growth of this global brand at the airport will bring employment opportunities and increased cargo carrying capabilities. This in turn will bring economic benefit, trade and investment to the region.
“It’s very much a sign of confidence in both the North East and in the airport,” Dave Laws was quoted in news portals.