Dubai long-haul carrier is ramping up its operations in various markets around the world as travel demand soars amid easing COVID-19 restrictions. 

The airline announced on Monday that it will increase its service to two major Australian cities, Sydney and Melbourne, due to soaring demand.  

The new services to Australia are the latest capacity expansions unveiled by the airline this month. The airline had recently announced plans to reintroduce its flagship A380 to Casablanca in Morocco and ramp up frequencies to Hong Kong. 

It had also announced plans to boost operations in China ahead of the New Lunar Year and in response to strong travel demand. 

Australian route 

Starting from March 26, Melbourne will increase from two to three daily services between Dubai via Singapore, with a third direct service to Sydney set to begin on May 1. 

The airline said it will be operating 63 weekly services to Australia with the capacity to transport more than 55,000 passengers per week by mid-year. 

“Emirates will be back to operating at pre-pandemic levels to Sydney and Melbourne,” the airline said. 

Emirates recently unveiled plans to double daily flights to Brisbane starting from June 1. It said the newly restored third Dubai-Melbourne service will enable Emirates to provide a new connectivity option between Singapore and Melbourne. 

Last July, Australia said it will no longer require visitors to show proof of vaccination. However, starting from January 5, the government requires flyers from China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to show evidence of a negative pre-departure COVID-19 test. 

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria) 

Cleofe.maceda@lseg.com