A total 223,342 people flew from Dublin to Dubai and onwards to destinations including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, which are among Emirates’ most popular destinations for passengers travelling from Dublin Airport.
“We carried more than 219,000 passengers into Ireland from around the world, via Dubai and this figure includes international tourists, business passengers and of course, those returning from holiday,” said Enda Corneille, Emirates country manager for Ireland. Emirates operates two daily flights from and into Dublin, using state-of-the-art Boeing 777s, each of which can carry 360 passengers and 25 tonnes of cargo.
Emirates offers over 1,000 movies as part of its 4,000 channel selection on ice, its award-winning in-flight entertainment system. The most popular movie onboard Emirates in 2018 was the American superhero film Black Panther, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name.
In a recent poll of some 1,000 people in Ireland, an Emirates Ireland Travel Survey discovered that:
· 28 per cent of people like to fly in daylight but 14 per cent prefer taking a flight when it’s dark
· 49 per cent of passengers like to sit by the window, whilst 31 per cent always opt for an aisle seat
· 30 per cent of those polled said that they could not resist checking work emails when they were away on holiday; 45 per cent reported that they are contacted by work when on holiday
· When it comes to airport travel, the thing that is most important to passengers is fast check-in, with 25 per cent of people putting it as their number one item
· When it comes to winter holidays, 41 per cent of people in Ireland would opt for a sun holiday over a ski trip or city break
Emirates carries a number of Irish products onboard for passengers including VOYA, Butlers Chocolates, Killowen Yogurt, Keogh’s Crisps and Gahan Beef. Enda Corneille said, “One of the most popular meals on the Dublin to Dubai route is the Beef Fillet, which is served in both First and Business Class. The signature dish is served with a range of sautéed vegetables, all of which are sourced from local Irish suppliers.
“When it comes to our onboard wines, we see a lot of Irish customers opting for a French red, such as a robust Bordeaux and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is particularly popular.”
Emirates has its own wine cellar in Burgundy, France, where some seven million bottles of wine are stored. An estimated 5.5 million bottles of wine and Champagne were consumed onboard in 2018, with Emirates investing more than $700 million (€616 million) on its wine programme since 2006.
Globally, Emirates carried over 59 million passengers on its 3,700 weekly passenger flights in 2018. The airline served more than 66 million meals on its flights from Dubai to its global network of 157 destinations. Emirates operated more than 192,000 flights with its fleet of 274 aircraft last year.
Almost 10,000 tonnes of Irish exports were carried by Emirates in 2018 by SkyCargo, its freight division with a dedicated team at Dublin Airport.
Thirty five per cent of Irish cargo was made up of food items such as crabs, oysters, razor shells and salmon, much of which was carried to the Far East and specifically, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. Other Irish produce making its way to the supermarkets of Dubai and onwards to Asia include yogurts, cheese, beef, chocolates and baby milk formula.
Pharmaceuticals accounted for more than 2,000 tonnes of cargo carried by Emirates SkyCargo from Dublin last year to end markets including Australia, India and the Middle East.
