Emirates has been operating with an average load factor of 80 per cent from all 10 destinations in India showing great potential in the country’s aviation sector, Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Vice President – India & Nepal, Emirates Airline, said.
In 2012, Emirates invested significantly in expanding its global route network. “We have launched 14 new destinations already – Rio De Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Lusaka, Harare, Seattle, Dallas, Ho Chi Minh City, Barcelona, Lisbon, Erbil, Washington, Adelaide and Lyon. We have also recently launched Phuket. From that perspective the year has been a significant one for us,” he stated. The expansion of the global route network is further expected to drive growth from the Indian market. “A significant number of Indians travel to the UK, US, South Africa, Germany and France from India. According to a study by NCAER on Emirates’ economic impact on Indian economy, the airline carried 45 per cent of the passengers between 10 Indian points and Dubai. The remaining 55 per cent of passenger traffic was carried between Indian airports and points beyond Dubai in the financial year 2010-11,” he said. The study also revealed that 4.71 million passengers enjoyed the services of Emirates Airlines on the Dubai – India route in 2011-12, he said, without divulging the current numbers.
Moreover, the carrier is consistently trying to strengthen its position in the Indian market. “We intend to consolidate our presence in this market by positioning ourselves as a bridge between cultures and communities. Given Emirates’ presence in India and across the world, our effort is to provide value for money propositions to Indian travelers looking to discover new experiences and people,” he added.
Commenting on the travellers profile, he said that Emirates caters to varied customer segments. “Since we offer configurations across three categories – Economy, Business, and First class, there is something for everyone on Emirates,” he said, and added that the carrier has invested considerable resources in consumer research and feedback and has used it as a key to improve services.
The carrier also works closely with Emirates Holidays, a group company of Emirates Group, which offers holiday packages and caters to the leisure segment, while Dnata, another group company of Emirates Group, works towards offering corporate travel solutions. “Emirates also has dedicated teams across the country that work towards meeting the travel needs of the customers. We try and make arrangements for all our customers as per their requirements,” he said.
