DUBAI- Dubai-based Emirates Airline (EK) plans a 40% increase in flights to China, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).
In response to growing demand, Emirates will reintroduce the Airbus A380 on its China routes, reversing an earlier switch to smaller Boeing 777 aircraft that reduced seat capacity by nearly 30%.
Emirates Increases China Flights
Kazim noted that Emirates is working with Chinese authorities to further increase flight frequencies through new routes or expand capacity on existing ones.
“We’re optimistic as China’s travel market recovers,” Kazim stated, affirming that China remains a strong market for Emirates.
Currently, Emirates operates daily flights to Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou.
Etihad Reductions
However, Another UAE-based carrier Etihad Airways (EY) plans to extend its reduced service schedule to China, according to an update on October 29. Reservations between January 20 and March 29, 2025, are limited for key routes, Aeroroutes reported.
For flights between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Beijing Daxing (PKX), service will remain cut from seven to three weekly flights, operating on the Boeing 787-9. Only full-fare business (J) and economy (Y) class reservations are available from Abu Dhabi on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
The Abu Dhabi to Shanghai Pudong (PVG) route also maintains reduced service, operating four times weekly on the 787-9. Reservations from Abu Dhabi are restricted to full-fare J and Y classes on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Chinese Carriers Update
European carriers are cutting and suspending flights to China due to restrictions on using Russian airspace.
However Chinese airlines that have access to airspace are adding new and more services between China and Europe.
Further, some Chinese carriers are adding more flights to other Asian countries as conditions are getting better post-pandemic and there has been a recovery to pre-pandemic levels in some markets.
Recently, Shenzhen Airlines (ZH) has started non-stop three weekly flights on the Doha (DOH)-Shenzhen (SZX) route.
China-Middle East Market
Data from Cirium reveals that flights between Mainland China and the Middle East have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, rising from 1,534 monthly flights to 1,696, marking a 10.5% increase. Despite this growth in flights, available seats from China have declined slightly, from 528,742 in October 2019 to 507,505 in October 2024.
Airline operations between China and the Middle East show varied trends. Etihad Airways has significantly reduced its flights, while Emirates and Qatar Airways (QR) have maintained stable operations.
Among Chinese carriers, some, like China Southern, have increased flights to the Middle East, whereas others, such as China Eastern Airlines, have reduced them.
The Middle East serves as both a key transit hub linking Asia-Pacific with Europe and Africa and as a destination.
While no Chinese airlines flew to Qatar in November 2019, three are now scheduled to operate in November 2024. Qatar Airways has kept its China flights at 266, leading to an overall 61% rise in flights to Qatar, accompanied by a 13.3% increase in seat capacity.
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