Emirates recently announced a 40% increase in flights to China, responding to what it describes as “healthy” demand.
Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said the company will reintroduce double-decker Airbus A380 jets on its China routes, reversing an earlier downgrade to smaller Boeing Co. 777 aircraft.
Emirates' bullish stance on the China market stands in stark contrast to that of western airlines.
Lufthansa, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Scandinavian Airlines have all scaled back or ceased operations on certain China routes, citing the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and declining passenger demand.
Similarly, the recovery of U.S.-China flight capacity has stalled, hindered by tense bilateral relations and a decline in business travel demand.
According to OAG data, as of September 2024, the number of seats on flights between the U.S. and China was approximately 241,000, a decrease of 72% compared to 2019 level.
Emirates currently flies twice a day to Shanghai and Beijing, and daily to Guangzhou.
Kazim revealed that Emirates and Etihad recently secured additional Chinese flight slots under a renegotiation of bilateral flights between China and the United Arab Emirates.
The new deal permits 14 additional flights each per week from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, allowing Emirates to increase services from 35 at present to 49 per week.
Chinese carriers would share the same increased number — totaling 28 additional slots.
