Emirates to expand reach in former Yugoslavia
Emirates is continuing to expand its reach in the region with the airline concluding new codeshare flights to Belgrade, signalling its commitment to return to Zagreb, and eying new markets for its expanding fleet. The airline has set a target to have its entire 118-strong Airbus A380 fleet in the air next summer, with eighty currently active, which would free up a number of Boeing 777 aircraft currently being used in lieu of its larger counterpart. As Emirates has continued taking delivery of jets throughout the pandemic, it will look to expand its network next year to employ its entire fleet. It has increasingly indicated Southeast Europe as a potential point for future growth.
Earlier this year the Serbian Prime Minister held talks with the Founder and CEO of Emirates, Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, in Dubai. Cooperation has since intensified with the Emirate, with Dubai's Crown Prince, Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, currently visiting Serbia. The export of perishable items to Dubai, such as fruits and vegetables, has increased in recent months, requiring growing cargo capacity. Yesterday, Emirates announced it would add its designator code and flight numbers onto Aegean Airlines’ service between Athens and Belgrade this coming winter season. The codeshare will go into effect from October 30 and will become Emirates’ second codeshare partner to the Serbian capital after Flydubai. Emirates currently serves Athens with twelve weekly flights operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft. This winter, Aegean plans to maintain four weekly rotations to Belgrade with its Airbus A320-family jet. Aegean’s service to the Serbian capital is already codeshared by Air Serbia and Egypt Air.
Emirates discontinued flights to Zagreb in 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the airline said that it hopes to restore services to the Croatian capital. As EX-YU Aviation News learns, Zagreb is on the cards for Emirates once feeder markets in Asia fully reopen and travel confidence returns to the continent. As a result, the seasonal service to Zagreb would become both commercially and operationally feasible. Flydubai, which has served as Emirates’ replacement on the route since this summer, has scheduled flights to the Croatian capital into the 2023 summer season, which begins next March.
Although Emirates is considering a greater presence in the region, the existing make-up of its fleet and the delay in the delivery of new aircraft are causing issues in launching new markets with softer premium demand or greater seasonality. Deliveries of Boeing 787 Dreamliners have been pushed back by at least a year until 2024, with the US plane maker's resuming deliveres of the jet just last week after a seventeen-month suspension over structural flaws. The Dubai-based carrier ordered thirty of the twin-aisle jets three years ago as part of a broader deal that saw it cut the number of orders for larger 777X aircraft, now also delayed.
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