Emirates seeks additional Manila flights

MANILA, Philippines — Emirates is seeking the green light from the government to expand its flights in the Philippines on the projected higher demand with the lifting of strict COVID-19 quarantine and lockdown protocols.

Emirates country manager for the Philippines Saeed Abdulla Miran yesterday said the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would petition the government to grant it extra capacity to fly in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as it readies to take on the projected surge in travel demand in the pandemic aftermath.

Miran said Emirates currently operates 18 flights a week to NAIA and daily flights to the Clark International Airport via Cebu.

“We are very interested in adding capacity to the Philippines. It’s just the will of the government to give us extra frequencies, especially to the Manila airport,” Miran said.

According to Miran, Emirates saw a jump in flight demand for Dubai from Manila as soon as the government decided to lift border restrictions and resume air travel. Further, flight activities in its Clark operations are starting to pick up with the country expected to stay under Alert Level 1 for good.

“That is why we are keen to speak to the government and to start the negotiations for additional flights,” Miran said.

However, Miran said that Emirates has yet to decide how many Philippine flights it would like to add, leaving it to the government to determine the number depending on the additional capacity that NAIA can support.

Emirates also plans to capture the first class market in the Philippines, especially as some passengers want to experience premium services as part of their revenge travel.

Last July, Emirates introduced its first class offering in the Philippines for its Manila to Dubai flights using Boeing 777. By availing of the service, passengers are provided with their own private suite equipped with entertainment sets and complemented by exclusive meals.

Emirates, one of the two flag carriers of the UAE, handles a total of 25 flights from Manila, Cebu and Clark to Dubai. Upon landing at the Dubai International Airport, travelers could connect to destinations in Europe, Middle East and the Americas.

Emirates announced last month it would invest more than $2 billion to improve inflight customer experience, going against the industry current of cutting costs to recoup pandemic losses.

The Dubai-based airline is refurbishing at least 120 aircrafts and launching new products and services starting this year.