HONG KONG: Emirates Airline, the Middle East's largest carrier, said it will expand its mainland services to meet growing passenger and cargo demand.
"The fast-growing economy is creating lots of new customers for us. We will expand our capacity in both passenger and cargo accordingly," said Michael Qu, cargo manager of Emirates (China).
Emirates operates three passenger flights and one cargo service between the mainland and Dubai every day, with a daily capacity of 300 passengers and 130 tons of cargo, Qu said.
"We will add more flights on top of that as needed. The coming Olympic Games might generate more business for us," Qu said.
The United Arab Emirates company also plans to add four flights in the European, Asian and North American markets later this year.
Emirates will double its existing fleet of 107 aircraft with an additional 115 planes.
"We have 115 aircraft, including Airbus and Boeing, on order, but it is hard to predict when they will be available. It depends on the performance of the production line. It takes years before the finished product is ready," said Ram Menen, senior vice-president of Emirates' cargo division.
Foreign carriers are looking to cash in on the mainland's burgeoning aviation sector, as domestic airlines compete to retain market share, analysts said.
"Competition between local airlines is already very strong on the mainland. Now, the global airlines are trying to tap the market, banking on the fast-growing economy to drive huge demand for services," said Cho Fook-tat, senior aviation analyst at Taifook Securities in Hong Kong.
"All carriers have advantages, but overall, the well-established foreign airlines have much better services like catering, ground handling and onboard entertainment," said Cho.
"Although overseas airlines might charge more, a growing number of affluent Chinese wanting to travel overseas might be willing to pay extra for better service."
Emirates Group posted a $942 million net profit for the last fiscal year, up from $762 million the previous year. Revenue from its airline business jumped over 28 percent from $6.3 billion to $8.1 billion last year, boosted by 25 percent growth in net profit.
Source: China Daily
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article