Emirates eyes deeper links with Dhaka
Luxury airline Emirates plans to increase its frequencies to Dhaka in the coming months with an eye on the increasing number of outbound tourists, business and corporate people and overseas jobseekers. The carrier that launched operations in Bangladesh around 25 years ago now operates 17 flights a week on the Dhaka-Dubai route. It had only two flights a week when it was launched in 1986. "Although we have 17 frequencies a week, we actually want three flights per day and that is what we are really looking forward to now," said Majid Al Mualla, senior vice president, commercial operations, West Asia & Indian Ocean, of the airline. "We are moving step by step and what we have achieved so far from Bangladesh is satisfactory," Mualla said in an interview with a group of journalists at the Emirates Group Headquarters in Dubai recently. He said Dhaka is an important point for Emirates' network as the airline's passenger seat factor or occupancy for the city is around 81 percent as of mid-February. The seat factor in Dhaka was 78 percent a year ago. "Bangladesh is one of the few destinations that we started from the very beginning and we have seen tremendous growth year to year," Mualla said. According to him, Bangladesh's economy is performing much better than expectation, especially during the time of global recession. "In the current economic situation globally, if you are achieving 5-6 percent growth, this is more than satisfactory. So we are not talking about Dhaka only, we are also talking about other cities that link Dhaka." "We are soon opening flights to Lisbon in July and if some passengers come from Lisbon to Dhaka that will give us more growth," Mualla said. The official said Bangladesh has progressed a lot in the last decade. "I had been working there (in Dhaka) almost 10 years ago. At that time you had only two hotels -- Sheraton and Sonargaon -- but now you have five to six and many are coming." Emirates also plans to introduce Airbus A380 in Bangladesh. A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner. It is the world's largest passenger aircraft and due to its size, many airports have had to expand their facilities to properly accommodate it. The carrier is currently in talks with the Bangladesh government and airport authorities to introduce the aircraft in Dhaka. "At this stage, the Bangladeshi airport is not ready for A 380 and we are working with the government and airport authorities to see when we will be able to operate A 380." As the airline has more than two flights a day from Dhaka, Bangladesh has the potential for A 380 in future, he said. The aircraft will offer a wide array of features such as spa and WiFi, which will enable passengers to connect to the internet via a wireless network access point. However, Mualla said they have no plan right now to operate flights from Chittagong. Recently, the airline decided to withdraw the commission for travel agents in Bangladesh from this March. The official said they have the zero commission system in many countries such as Pakistan, India and the UAE. The move will not affect passengers in Bangladesh although travel agents provide more than 80 percent of its business, he added. "Our fare is much competitive and we do review everyday," he said. As Europe has decided to introduce carbon emission tax for airlines, fares may go up further. Through a directive, the EU has included all flights operating in its skies in the Emission Trading System for payment of carbon tax for CO2 emission. The directive has been made effective from January. "A lot of airlines implemented this, while there are a lot who still didn't. Still there is a lot of confusion in the market." Emirates is yet to implement the directive and is in talks with different organisations and authorities, he said. The Emirates Group is a public international travel and tourism conglomerate holding company headquartered in Garhoud, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Group comprises Dubai National Air Transport Association (DNATA), an aviation services company providing ground handling services, and Emirates airline, the largest carrier in the Middle East. As of January, Emirates has 169 aircraft in its fleet and 236 aircraft on order worth $84 billion. It now serves 121 destinations in 72 countries. More than 40 cabin crew and 650 other staff from Bangladesh are currently working with the airline, which employs people from more than 160 countries. Of the 169 aircraft, 20 are superjumbos and 70 more of this kind will join the fleet in the coming years. In 2011, it added five new destinations, while within July this year, the airline plans to operate flights in 10 more cities. Mualla said Emirates has no plan right now to open a dedicated lounge at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. But in future, they will consider it upon receiving adequate space from the airport authorities, he said. Mualla also said they will try to show more Bangladeshi movies onboard. The airline has no plan now to go for an initial public offering. However, Mualla said Emirates has a healthy balance sheet and people will generally be interested in the airline. Public relations firm Triune recently arranged a media trip for a group of Bangladeshi journalists to the Emirates Headquarters at the invitation of the airline. Triune Chief Executive Kazi Wahidul Alam led the team.