Following the recent news of an expanded air transport agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Canada, national carrier Emirates has quickly moved to step up its frequency with two additional flights per week between Dubai and Toronto.
From 20 April, daily flights will operate on the busy route to serve huge demand for passenger services. This will effectively add over 6,800 additional seats per week; representing a 40% increase.
Bilateral air transport agreement
The move by the UAE national carrier comes as bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Canada have enhanced significantly.
AviationSource reported on the recent air transport agreement with will see both countries reap vast economic benefits across a multitude of sectors and supply chains. The expanded agreement will see air transport movements increase by 50 per cent between two partnering nations.
The United Arab Emirates is traditionally a major air transport sector for Canada, and both nations have seen significant demand for air services.
Hailing the development as a crucial one for the airline, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, said:
“Emirates welcomes the expansion of the air services agreement between the UAE and Canada and we would firstly like to thank all stakeholders and authorities who were involved in this pivotal agreement that will provide a boost to the aviation and tourism sectors in both countries.”
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“We have been serving customers between Toronto and Dubai since 2007, and although the double-decker A380 aircraft has been operating the route since 2009, demand arising from leisure and corporate travellers, diaspora and students has consistently outstripped the allocated capacity.”
“This enhanced agreement represents a turning point for us in our strategy to serve our customers better, by offering more choice and flexibility, and meet pent up demand across our growing network.”
Commercial and business relations
As well as leisure travel between the two nations, the flow of commercial and business air travel is also significant. This was acknowledged by Mr Kazim in his covering statement.
“Business ties between Canada and the UAE have grown significantly over the years and the expanded air services will help to further nurture business and trade,” continued Kazim.
“The expansion of air services is also an affirmation of the growing importance of the UAE to Canada’s global connectivity, which we can support through our global network of more than 130 destinations.”
“Together with the relevant authorities, our codeshare and loyalty programme partner Air Canada, and our valued industry partners, we look forward to playing a role in facilitating more tourism and trade opportunities between the two nations.”
A380 Toronto operations
Emirates operates the flagship A380 aircraft on the Dubai-Toronto route, allowing 491 passengers across Economy Class, Business Class and First Class on each flight.
With the two additional flights per week, Emirates will offer close to 2,000 additional seats to serve the busy route, representing a 40% increase in capacity between its hub city of Dubai and the Canadian point.
The Dubai-Toronto route is highly popular amongst customers from India, UAE, Bangladesh, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka while the same countries represent top destinations for travellers from Toronto.
