Dubai’s Emirates ramps up operations to Australia

Dubai carrier Emirates will enhance its operations to Australia to meet pent up demand for travel in and out of the country.

From November 2, Emirates is stepping up the frequency on flights EK414/415 between Dubai and Sydney to daily operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. Flights to Melbourne will operate as a four-weekly service as EK408/409, with the potential to increase further.

The two states – New South Wales and Victoria – will allow vaccinated travellers to return to Australia without quarantine.

Capacity on flights to Sydney and Melbourne will return to 100 per cent, allowing 354 passengers across all cabins to travel on its flights. Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members will be able to undertake unrestricted travel  to and from the two points, as long as they are vaccinated against Covid-19 with a TGA-approved vaccine.

From December 1, Emirates’ A380 aircraft, will also return to serve the Dubai-Sydney route, on a daily basis. The aircraft will offer 516 seats in a three-class configuration, with 426 seats in economy class, in addition to its premium cabins, with 76 and 14 seats in business class and first class, respectively.

By December, the last two A380s will also be delivered to join Emirates’ fleet and some 50 of its A380 aircraft will have returned to active service.

Read: Dubai’s Emirates to receive final A380 in November this year

Tickets can be booked on the carrier’s website or through travel agents. The carrier has urged customers to check the applicable eligibility requirements prior to booking as they are subject to change by the Australian federal and state governments.

Passengers travelling in premium class can enjoy complimentary lounge access in Dubai and in select destinations around the airline’s network, and also enjoy chauffeur-drive service before and after their flights at its four points in Australia, in Dubai, as well as across its network.

Customers of Emirates and Qantas have access to a wide network of destinations due to their codeshare partnership. Both carriers will extend their partnership for another five years, allowing their customers and frequent flyers access to an expansive joint network.

Read: Dubai’s Emirates, Qantas extend partnership to bolster international travel

For Emirates customers, the deal provides access to over 55 Australian destinations that Emirates does not fly to, and Qantas customers are able to fly on Emirates to Dubai and access over 50 cities in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, that Qantas does not fly to.

Barry Brown, Emirates divisional vice president for Australasia, said: “We are extremely delighted to once again be able to extend our services to Australians, with the capacity and frequency that they deserve. Passengers will appreciate the return to normality – for vaccinated travellers wishing to go home to Australia, this will mean no more restrictions on capacity and no quarantine on arrival into New South Wales or Victoria, ultimately allowing them to see their families sooner.

“Starting November 1, Australians will also be able to plan a holiday and travel internationally. Of course that’s good news for us as we are ready to serve those customers with access to our network spanning more than 120 destinations via our hub in Dubai.”

Emirates continues to operate to Brisbane and Perth with government–mandated capacity restrictions in place, requiring all passengers to undergo a 14 day mandatory quarantine until travel restrictions are relaxed in Queensland and Western Australia.