Story by ANDREW KACIMAIWAI.
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Emirates will be doubling its flights from Dubai to Brisbane from June with cargo capacity as an added feature.
Deputy Queensland Premier Steven Miles said Emirates’ decision to increase services to Brisbane was influenced by the support from the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF).
“Emirates’ decision is another clear indicator that international travel is back on the global agenda and Queensland is very much in the sights of overseas visitors,” he said.
“In addition to the A380 servicing the route daily, Emirates will add a daily 777-300 service starting from June.
“It’s estimated to bring in an additional 129,210 seats, including an estimated 38,610 visitors to the state and generate overnight visitor expenditure of $75 million a year.
“The extra service is also estimated to provide an additional 730 direct and indirect jobs for the state.
“Emirates’ extensive worldwide network to over 130 destinations will ensure a high level of connectivity with the United Kingdom, Europe, Scandinavia, Arica and North America.
“Importantly for exporting Queensland agricultural produce, this service has the capacity to provide up to 22 tonnes of freight capacity to Dubai and beyond per flight,” he said.
Emirates Regional Sales Manager Dean Cleaver said the restoration of another flight to Brisbane was significant.
“Our second daily service to Brisbane begins as we proudly celebrate 20 years of flying to the Sunshine State,” he said.
“Not only will this service cater to the demand of Australians looking to travel overseas, but also welcome more travellers and tourists to enjoy Queensland, Australia’s tourism mecca,” he said.
“The additional service combined with our daily A380 to Brisbane means Emirates will offer almost 12,000 seats to and from Brisbane every week. This is another important milestone in the resumption of our Australian capacity and reaffirms our longstanding commitment to flying down under.”
Brisbane Airport Corporation Chief Executive Officer Gert Jan de Graff said the decision was a “huge vote of confidence in the Brisbane and Queensland market”.
“It effectively doubles overnight the Emirates capacity between the two cities, delivering more seats for major Middle East and European markets. In terms of rebuilding what was lost by covid, this is a significant brick in the wall.
“In October we will celebrate 20 years since Emirates began flying into Brisbane. Through the depths of the pandemic, the airline continued to provide a lifeline to repatriate Australians and enable crucial Queensland exports to continue.”
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