Emirates is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Ireland this week. Since the inaugural flight on 9 January 2012, Emirates has carried more than 2.8 million passengers on 10,000 flights between Dublin and Dubai.
“When we launched in Ireland 10 years ago, we were in the midst of a global recession and today, as we mark a major milestone, we are in the middle of a global pandemic,” said Enda Corneille, country manager Emirates, Ireland. “Back in 2012 there were those who couldn’t understand the rationale for launching the Dublin operation given the economic circumstances of the time. However, meticulous planning, a long-term vision, and the confidence both Emirates and our customers have in our product and service have proved the naysayers wrong.”
The Dublin route launch has been one of the airline’s most successful in its 37-year history and despite having to scale back operations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Enda Corneille is confident that frequencies will ramp up as travel demand gradually returns. Emirates is currently operating a daily service between Dublin and Dubai and onwards to more than 120 destinations.
“The Christmas and New Year periods were really busy – bookings for Sydney and Melbourne alone were up 197% for the period – and the outlook for 2022/23 is extremely positive,” said Enda Corneille. “Factors such as the reopening of Australia, people visiting relatives and friends that they may not have seen in two years and pent-up demand for holidays is driving demand. Globally we are rebuilding our network safely and in line with international guidelines and have already restored more than 90% of our network. We are in a very strong position to meet the growth in demand as we emerge from two years of travel restrictions.”
Skycargo, Emirates’ freight division, has always played a vital role in its Irish operation and according to Enda Corneille, Skycargo was the lynchpin of the business during the pandemic.
Each Boeing 777 on the Dublin route can carry up to 25 tonnes of cargo including critical pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, computer servers, electronic components, seafood, dairy and even thoroughbred horses, who are exquisitely looked after onboard. In the 10 years of the Irish operation, Emirates has carried 130,000 tonnes of cargo between Dublin and Dubai, of which 72,000 tonnes comprised Irish exports, helping to support Irish businesses and Ireland’s thriving export market.
Emirates Skycargo Ireland connects Irish exporters with customers in Dubai, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and many other destinations in the Middle East, Asia, India, New Zealand and across the globe.
Key milestones in Emirates’ ten years in Ireland include:
December 2011:
- Emirates hosts an event for almost 1,000 guests at the Convention Centre in Dublin with a surprise appearance from superstar, Lionel Richie, to mark the impending launch of the airline’s first flight between Dublin and Dubai
January 2012:
- The first Emirates flight on the Dublin – Dubai route lands in Dublin on January 9. The route is initially served by an Airbus A330-200 accommodating up to 237 passengers
- Ireland becomes Emirates’ 29th route in Europe and its 119th globally and was one of 15 new passenger routes launched in 2012, which included Adelaide, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh, Rio, Harare and Barcelona
- Emirates commences cargo operations from Dublin, carrying 15 tonnes of Irish cargo and exports each day from Dublin to Dubai and beyond to markets including the Middle east, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore
May 2012:
- The Dublin route proved an early success and by May, Emirates had deployed its fastest-ever aircraft upgrade. A 360-seat capacity, state-of-the-art B777-300ER was introduced to the route, with 52% additional passenger capacity and an extra 10 tonnes of cargo load
- Emirates announces its inaugural sponsorship in Ireland – the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
September 2014:
- The success of the route results in Emirates announcing a double daily operation between Dublin and Dubai, connecting up to 44,000 passengers on the route, each month
- Cargo capacity on the Dublin to Dubai route increases to 50 tonnes, daily
December 2015:
- Emirates celebrates its one millionth passenger on the Dublin-Dubai route
September 2017:
- VOYA, a range of organic beauty products all the way from Strandhill in Sligo becomes available to Business and First Class customers, onboard at 40,000 feet and in airport lounges for the first time
October 2018:
- Emirates and Dublin-based, family-owned Butlers Chocolates agree a deal that saw one of Ireland’s favourite chocolate brands served to First Class customers on board all Emirates flights
October 2021:
- Having operated four flights weekly during the pandemic, Emirates resumes a daily service on the Dublin-Dubai route
Enda Corneille concluded:
“The past 10 years have been exciting and the challenges we have faced have demonstrated just how flexible, agile and able an airline of Emirates’ size can be. This can be attributed to the strength of the Emirates brand, fantastic people, an outstanding product and service and continued investment in technology and innovation. Our recent half-year results highlighted that we are well on the road to recovery with healthy revenue and a solid cash balance.
“If there has ever been a time to celebrate and recognise success it’s now. We are looking forward to getting together with our industry colleagues, later in the year, to mark our ten-year anniversary and look ahead to new milestones such as new aircraft, new route launches and renewed growth and success.”
For more information www.emirates.com
