Emirates targets 80% load on A380 Toronto

Emirates, which launched the Airbus A380 on its Bangkok and Toronto routes yesterday, targets more than 70 per cent seat factors on the Bangkok route.

"In the first few months of flying the A380 on Bangkok route, we expect the load factors to be more than 70 per cent," an Emirates spokesperson told Emirates Business.

The airline is expecting to achieve high load factors on its A380 Toronto route as well. Nigel Page, Emirates' Senior Vice-President Commerical Operations Africa and the Americas, said: "Our loads on Toronto are looking very healthy. We anticipate bookings in the 80-90 per cent range for the first part of the summer."

The airline's first A380 flight to Toronto, meanwhile, achieved about a 94 per cent seat factor, according the spokesperson.

The airline, which recently pulled out the A380s from its New York route, due to falling capacity, in order to redeploy them on Bangkok and Toronto routes, will fly the superjumbo daily to Bangkok and thrice weekly to Toronto.

"The aircraft with its large capacity and excellent operating economies is a pillar of growth, for the airline and the destination. In Thailand, the introduction of the super jumbo will support the local government's multi-million dollar promotional drive to boost tourism arrivals from the high-yield Middle Eastern countries," Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline, said in a statement.

He added: "At the same time the higher-capacity A380 will help address the strong demand for passenger and cargo services on the Dubai-Toronto route, which is currently restricted by the bi-lateral agreement to three flights per week."

Industry analysts, meanwhile, are of the opinion that the introduction of the A380 – the world's only twin-deck airliner with 35 per cent more seats than its closest rival – to Bangkok could help boost tourism in Thailand, which had until recently been marred by the political unrest in the country.

Some Bangkok hotels in the recent past saw occupancy rates falling to as low as 30 per cent, with estimates of tourist revenue losses of $500 million (Dh1.8 billion).

Describing Emirates' A380 as a positive development for Thailand's tourism industry, Chaisak Angkasuwan, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Thailand, said in a statement: "Our marketing campaigns focus on promoting Thailand as an ideal holiday destination in the Middle East. Travellers from this region make multiple visits to Thailand, staying on an average nine days and spending about $500m annually. We welcome the opportunity to partner with Emirates to grow the tourism potential."

Despite the current economic environment, the Middle East continues to deliver positive year-on-year growth of 5.7 per cent.

Tourist arrivals from the UAE alone rose by 99.46 per cent for January 2009 compared to the same period last year, Emirates said.

"With air travel due to triple in the next 18 years, larger aircraft such as the A380 are key to Emirates' plans to increasing passenger demand," said Clark.

 

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