Emirates is looking at more flights to New Zealand and could operate its newest plane here, one of its most senior executives says.
The airline is in another massive growth phase, with new Airbus A350s about to enter its fleet.
Chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim told the Herald an ultra-long-range version of the plane could be launched on New Zealand routes.
Kazim said the New Zealand routes’ performance was “amazing”, with solid year-round demand.
The airline takes delivery of the first of 65 A350s from mid-August and, while they would initially be used on regional routes, New Zealand would be on the radar once they were fitted with crew rests for ultra-long-haul flights of 16 hours or more.
“As of next year, we’re looking for many different ultra-long-haul routes,” Kazim said.
“If we believe that it will complement the existing capacity of the A380 that we have, it’s something the planning team will evaluate,” he told the Herald on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association’s meeting in Dubai this week.
New planes meant more opportunity.
“The options are quite big,” Kazim said. “They [the A350s] will cater to two needs – one for opening new opportunities but at the same time to ramp up the frequencies as well.”
Emirates was starting services to Adelaide from Dubai, initially using a Boeing 777, but this would be swapped out for an A350ULR, which has Business, Premium Economy and Economy, and this could be a pointer to what might happen in New Zealand.
Kazim said operating even more A380s to New Zealand – where it has been flying for more than 20 years – was also possible, though the airline still doesn’t have its full fleet of 116 double-deckers back in the air.
Ninety are flying at the moment but more are being reintroduced as engineering and crew resources become available.
The airline first flew the plane in 2008 and, although Airbus has stopped making them, Emirates will continue to fly them until late next decade because their size makes them ideal for flying through its big Dubai hub.
“We’ll look for more capacity into New Zealand because it can cope with that. As we get more aircraft and more availability, I’m sure the team will look at that.”
He said the strong demand to and from New Zealand had been bolstered with the introduction of Premium Economy (PE) early last year.
The strongest demand for PE across its global network was coming from New Zealand, Australia and Heathrow.
Emirates trailed other airlines in bringing in PE but it learned from its rivals about what worked and didn’t and, in Australasia, travellers were well educated about what it offered after flying it on other carriers.
“I think when we came into the market there was quite a clear understanding in people’s minds in terms of what they expected from the Premium Economy,” Kazim said.
“That’s why selling that product into those markets wasn’t difficult and, from day one, the demand was really strong in the Premium Economy.”
The airline has a retrofit programme under way that will see 126 aircraft, including 67 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s, fitted out with Premium Economy cabins.
Kazim added the title of deputy president of Emirates earlier this year and is seen as a potential successor to Sir Tim Clark, the airline’s president and driving force since its founding 39 years ago.
Kazim joined the airline in 1992 and heads commercial operations across its network of about 140 destinations in 86 countries, including its Dubai-based as e-commerce, retail and contact centres, the Emirates Skywards loyalty programme and Emirates SkyCargo.
His airline biography states that he heads the airline’s strategic planning and revenue optimisation teams. Clark was due to retire in mid-2020 but stayed on when Covid-19 hit in March that year.
In May, Emirates announced record profits of US$4.7 billion (NZ$7.8b) in 2023 on revenues of US$33b, up from a US$2.9b profit the previous year.
The Emirates group, owned by the government of Dubai, has more than 108,000 staff and those eligible were given a 20-week bonus as a share of this year’s profit. Last year a 24-week bonus was paid to about 50,000 staff.
Kazim said the payments recognised the work of staff in challenging circumstances as the airline scaled up rapidly. “It’s well deserved for the hard work I think the team put in. This has more than paid off in the long term for the motivation and commitment that we’re after.”
It also helps with recruitment as competitors such as Etihad and newcomer Riyadh Air from Saudi Arabia are also hiring.
As Emirates builds towards a fleet of 300 wide-body planes by 2030, it is recruiting 5000 cabin crew to add to its current roster of 22,000.
It is running recruiting events in 460 cities, including Auckland later this month, for jobs where basic and flying pay averages US$2770 ($4500) a month.
Cabin crew are based in Dubai and get their pay tax-free. They are also eligible for profit share, hotel stays and layover expenses, concessional travel, annual leave tickets, furnished accommodation, transport to and from work, medical, life and dental insurance and other benefits.
Female cabin crew can also choose from a range of 15 different shoe styles.
Cabin crew are from 140 nationalities and Kazim said this was important to cater to the needs of its diverse passenger mix.
The airline was experiencing a surge in demand for its premium cabins and he said more was being done to cater for the high-yield part of the plane.
It introduced loungewear (pyjamas made of modal – a premium, breathable fabric made from botanic fibre) for Business Class passengers this year on long-haul flights.
“It’s part of that enhancement to the customer service ... You don’t compromise on the service whether it’s to do with the quality of meal, the quantity of the meal or the content of IFE (in-flight entertainment) and pyjamas.”
Kazim said the financial outlook for this year was tracking strongly, in spite of massive disruption in Dubai caused by flooding in April.
“The outlook in mid-June onward to July and August is very healthy.”
Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.
The Herald travelled to Dubai courtesy of IATA
The airline sold its last slots at Heathrow in 2020.