EMIRATES president and chief executive officer, Tim Clark, has flagged the potential of the Dubai-based carrier flying to secondary cities in Australia as part of the next stage of its alliance with partner Qantas.
EK currently operates 77 weekly flights to five capital cities in Australia – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Clark listed Darwin, Cairns, Broome and even Alice Springs as possible destinations which may be serviced over the next five years through the tie-up with the Australian flag carrier.
The Emirates boss recently met with Qantas chief executive officer, Alan Joyce, to “map the way forward over the next three to five years”.
“Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are going to be primary areas,” he said, with growth on the local market with Qantas “unabated”.
Part of the original agreement, Clark added, includes Qantas considering the resumption of European cities when it receives new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, expected to enter service by the end of QF’s 2019 financial year. European gateways mentioned which may be accessed by Qantas via Dubai include Frankfurt, Paris and Rome.
In August, Emirates’ announced its eight daily flights to London will all be served by the popular A380s from January 1st 2016.
