• Emirates will be back to operating at pre-pandemic levels to Sydney and Melbourne
• Ramp up will see Emirates’ operations elevate to 63 weekly flights across Australia
• Airline also confirms restart of Christchurch via Sydney in March
DUBAI, UAE, 23 January 2023: Emirates has taken yet another significant step in the resumption of its Australia capacity by increasing its service to two major cities – Sydney and Melbourne. The airline will also restart services to Christchurch, New Zealand via Sydney, offering a new path for Australians across the trans-Tasman route.
From 26 March, Melbourne will increase from two to three daily services between Emirates’ Dubai hub via Singapore, with a third direct service to also begin to Sydney from 1 May. The service increase follows the airline’s recent announcement around double daily flights to Brisbane, starting from 1 June. The huge boost comes amidst another busy period for air travel and as the airline continues to reaffirm its ongoing commitment to growing its services to and from Australia. The two services will operate on a three-class Boeing-777 300ER offering passengers Economy, Business and First Class seats.
By mid-year, Emirates will be operating 63 weekly services to Australia with the capacity to transport more than 55,000 passengers per week to and from its major cities. Melbourne and Sydney will be restored to flying at pre-pandemic levels, a significant milestone in the airline’s reinstatement of Australia services. The uplift in capacity supports the revival of tourism by providing travellers with even more access to and from Australia, as well as bolstering trade and business opportunities with the large 22-tonne freight capacity offered by the Boeing 777-300ER.
The newly restored third Dubai-Melbourne service means Emirates is providing a new connectivity option between Singapore and Melbourne to serve strong demand between both cities, as well as offering customers its signature, differentiated product and service experience. The Christchurch service via Sydney, beginning 26 March, will offer the only opportunity for passengers between the two cities to fly on an A380, Emirates’ flagship aircraft.
Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer Emirates Airline, said: “Adding a third daily service to Sydney and Melbourne will offer over 500,000 additional seats to and from Australia in a year. To have the two cities operating back at pre-pandemic frequencies is a phenomenal milestone in our restoration of Australia capacity and testament to our longstanding commitment to flying down under.
“For over 25 years we have provided services for Australia since our first flight to Melbourne in 1996. During this time, we have proudly transported over 40 million passengers and continued flying to Australia during the pandemic. We continue to record significant demand for our services, so we’re dedicated to offering Australians and travellers more options to travel, including the likes of our new Premium Economy cabin with Australia being one of the first markets to be offered this class.”
Melbourne Airport CEO, Lorie Argus, says “We’re thrilled that Emirates is enhancing its commitment to Melbourne. The resumption of the Melbourne to Singapore route means Emirates will operate three daily flights from Melbourne, returning to pre-Covid levels of capacity.
“It’s great news for customers as it provides extra capacity for the strong demand we’re seeing for travel from Melbourne to Europe and Asia. It’s also great news for Victorian exporters, with the Boeing 777-300 aircraft providing additional freight opportunities into Asia and the Middle East.”
Sydney Airport CEO, Geoff Culbert, says “We welcome this additional capacity on the Sydney to Dubai route, which will also give passengers access to Emirates’ extensive global network.
“These extra flights are another important step towards Australia’s international aviation recovery, providing much needed additional capacity to meet the high demand for travel. It is great to see that both visitors and Australians will have more choice available in time for the start of the European summer and the NSW winter school holidays.
“We are also pleased to see the A380 return on the trans-Tasman after a three-year hiatus, adding extra seats to meet the strong appetite for travel between Sydney and New Zealand.”
Emirates’ reinstated services
Sydney – Dubai: third daily non-stop service
From 1 May 2023, Emirates will add a third daily flight between Dubai and Sydney, served by a Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates flight EK416 will depart Dubai at 2130hrs, arriving in Sydney at 1720hrs the next day. The return flight EK417, will depart Sydney at 2010hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0430hrs. The airline currently serves Sydney with double daily A380 flights, and both services offer the airline’s highly acclaimed Premium Economy experience for customers.
Melbourne – Dubai: third daily service via Singapore
Emirates continues to build on its long-term commitment to stimulating tourism and trade in Victoria with the addition of a third daily flight to Melbourne via Singapore, starting 26 March 2023. The third flight will operate as EK404 using a Boeing 777-300ER and will depart Dubai at 2115hrs, arriving in Singapore at 0850hrs. The flight will then continue on to Melbourne taking off at 1025hrs from Singapore, arriving at 2035hrs local time. The return service to Dubai EK405 takes off from Melbourne at 0325hrs, arriving in Singapore at 0815hrs. The flight will then take off for Dubai at 0940hrs, arriving at 1300hrs local time.
Restart of Christchurch via Sydney
Emirates will restart services to Christchurch via Sydney from 26 March 2023, and the A380 flight will operate as EK412 an EK413. Emirates flight EK412 departs Dubai at 1015hrs, arriving in Sydney at 0700hrs. The flight will then continue, taking off from Sydney at 0845hrs, arriving in Christchurch at 1350hrs. EK413 will then depart Christchurch at 1820hrs, arriving in Sydney at 1940hrs. The final leg of EK413 will depart to Dubai at 2145hrs, arriving at 0515hrs local time. Customers in Christchurch will not only be able to enjoy the airline’s flagship aircraft, but will also have double the opportunity to experience the debut of the highly sought-after Premium Economy cabin and latest products across every class of travel.
Emirates has been serving Australia for more than 25 years, progressively growing its services to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, and other destinations via its Dubai hub since 1996. The airline takes tremendous pride in enhancing travel options for customers travelling to and from Australia, strengthening the global reach of local businesses through its expansive network, and benefiting thriving travel and tourism industries by drawing in visitors. The airline also currently operates a daily A380 service to Perth.
Bookings can be made on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents.