Emirates moves to secure foothold
Emirates seeks to tap the potential of attracting more travellers, profiting from the high load factors of its flights and the suspension of operations by some local and global airlines that are flying to the Middle East and Europe.
The UAE-based carrier, which now enjoys over an 85 percent load factor in flights from Dhaka, said it would add three more flights a week, taking the number from 14 to 17 flights. The airline plans to operate 21 flights a week in the near future.
The load factor is a percentage of the seats that are occupied by passengers, or the percentage of the utilised freight capacity.
“We have enjoyed above 85 percent load factor in Bangladesh. It is significantly high, and that is one of the reasons behind why we are adding more flights to Dhaka,” said Emirates Area Manager in Bangladesh Hanif Zakaria at a press conference at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
The press meet was organised to launch holiday packages to attract Bangladeshi travellers, mainly tourists, to the 'Dubai Shopping Festival 2009', which is to take place between January 15 and February 15.
Local travellers, according to Emirates', can avail the Emirates Holidays' all-inclusive packages, starting from $1,062 per person twin sharing, at the three-star Highland Hotel and a $2,131 package at five-star hotels, such as the Kempinski Hotel Mall of The Emirates'.
Zakaria said the flights are not being increased for the festival alone; it will be the regular schedule from February 1.
Emirates, one of the 20 largest airlines with over 100 aircraft in its fleet, moves to increase the number of flights from Dhaka at a time when the International Air Transport Association (IATA) feared that the global airline industry could face $2.5 billion in losses in 2009, due to the recession in the global economy and a fall in consumer spending in developed countries.
The IATA also predicted that passenger traffic would decline by 3 percent in 2009, following a 2 percent in 2008.
In 2008, soaring oil prices, which hit at $147 a barrel in July, also forced a number of airlines to shut. Oil prices however eased later and now hovers around $40 a barrel, as the financial meltdown gripped the world.
Citing the aviation industry slump after the 9/11 attacks, Zakaria said the aviation industry is facing a similar situation. “But there is no downward trend for us. We are still growing,” he said.
The suspension of flights by some local and global airlines like RAK Airways from Dhaka to UAE encouraged the carrier to add more flights. Some carriers, such as the British Airways, had earlier announced that it would suspend its Dhaka-London routes from March 28, 2009, because of a non-profitability of the route.
“A few airlines planned to leave Bangladesh and stop operations in some destinations,” he said.
“I think it is time to rescue people,” he said. There are a good number of people, like immigrants, students, and business people, in addition to Bangladeshi workers to the Middle East, who travel abroad on a regular basis.
Emirates, one of the dozen carriers including the national carrier Biman, also offers onward connections to the rest of the world including Europe and North America.
“We are offering frequent means of better connections. My dream is to operate three flights a day from Dhaka,” Zakaria said.
The Emirates' official also hoped that the global economic meltdown would not hurt the Dubai Shopping Festival. He feels that the world economy is bouncing back into shape.
“People who put a halt to spending in the last couple of months, will start spending again, when the economy flourishes again,” he said.
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