Emirates to Serve 23 of Europe’s Top 50 Airports
Earlier this month, Emirates launched a new TV advertising campaign throughout Europe highlighting how its investment in the Airbus A380 super jumbo jet is generating healthy, long-term employment across many countries. This strategy is being interpreted as something of a charm offensive in light of recent claims by several airlines that Emirates has unfair advantages and is ‘stealing’ traffic from European carriers. Lufthansa in particular has repeatedly encouraged the German government not to allow Emirates further access to German airports (such as Berlin and Stuttgart), although it curiously seems to have had fewer issues with Emirates rival Qatar Airways serving these destinations.
Emirates’ latest annual report shows that it carried over 31 million passengers during its last financial year (up almost 15 percent) at a record-high load factor of 80 percent, on a fleet of almost 150 all widebody aircraft. Since 1997, passenger numbers have grown every year by between 12 percent and 26 percent per annum with the exception of 2008-09 when traffic was up a modest 7 percent. 28 percent of capacity is allocated to Europe alone.
An analysis of Emirates’ current network reveals that Europe is the airline’s 2nd biggest region for capacity (as measured by ASKs – Available Seat Kilometres), only just behind Asia.
At present, the airline serves 25 European destinations with non-stop flights plus Malta, which is served via Larnaca. So far this year, it has added Geneva (earlier this month), while Copenhagen flights begin on 1st August, and the carrier recently revealed plans to serve St Petersburg in Russia from 1st November.
Lisbon and Helsinki are the biggest ‘city’ airports not served by any MEB3 carrier. A look at a list of Europe’s top 50 airports (by passenger numbers in 2010) shows that by the end of the year, Emirates will have direct flights to 23 of them, including 9 of the top 10. All 3 of Emirates’ new European routes in 2011 are Top 50 airports – Copenhagen is 15th, Geneva 33rd and St Petersburg 46th.
The European airports that Emirates serves that are outside the Top 50 are Venice, Glasgow, Larnaca, Newcastle and Malta. With the exception of Newcastle and Malta, all of the airports handle more than 5 million passengers per annum.
With a further 11 aircraft due to be delivered before the end of 2011, Emirates is likely to announce further new routes to add to its network of well over 100 global airports. If Emirates wants to grab first-mover advantage (over its MEB3 rivals) then Lisbon, Helsinki, Warsaw or Lyon would be most likely. German authorities are likely to block Cologne/Bonn, while Edinburgh may be too close to Glasgow (and Newcastle) to be considered viable.