Dubai’s Emirates restores capacity on some US routes

Dubai airline Emirates has announced plans to expand its capacity to the US for the first time since introducing cuts last year.

The carrier said it will begin flying directly to New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport as it prepares to halt a service to JFK.

It will also add two flights a week each to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando from March 25, returning to a daily service at both airports after a “steady rebound in customer demand”.

The carrier announced last April it was reducing flights on five US routes after restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration weakened demand.

These included cuts to flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando and the reduction of services to Seattle, Los Angeles and Boston from two to one a day.

Read: Dubai airline Emirates reduces flights on five US routes as demand drops

Emirates president Tim Clark said in September 2017 the carrier hoped to restore capacity in six to nine months.

Read: Emirates could restore US capacity within six to nine months

The new direct service to Newark adds to a controversial fifth-freedom route the carrier operates to the airport via Athens.

Read: Dubai’s Emirates begins controversial Athens-Newark route

Emirates said the non-stop service would begin on June 1 2018 and be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER with eight first class seats, 42 business class seats and 306 economy class seats.

EK223 will depart Dubai International at 3:00am and arrive in Newark at 9:00am

Return flight EK224 will depart Newark at 11:50am and arrive in Dubai at 8:20am the next day.

The carrier said it would stop operating flight EK207/208 to New York’s JFK airport from March 25, reducing its total flights from JFK to two non-stop via Dubai and one via Milan, Italy.

Through the direct Newark service its flights to New York will remain unchanged at five a day, according to the airline.

Emirates flies to 12 US airports in total.