Emirates expects to restore its full network connecting 143 cities by the summer of 2021, the airline’s top official has said.
Speaking exclusively to the Gulf Daily News, Emirates Airline and Group chairman and chief executive Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said the carrier was aiming to serve 100 per cent of its network destinations by mid-2021, as travel demand returns and economies begin recovering.
“Of course, the number of frequencies to each destination will not be fully restored, and it will all depend on passenger demand as well as the lifting of border entry restrictions in different airports and countries,” he added.
The airline announced yesterday that by next Friday, it will boost its global passenger destination network to 86 cities.
Talking about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry as a whole, Shaikh Ahmed said the state of play created is unprecedented in scale, plunging many airlines across the globe into uncharted territory.
Even as many borders begin reopening, much remains uncertain as travel restrictions continue to be lifted and re-imposed, and even with government intervention playing a significant role in the recovery of many airlines, many airlines in a post-Covid world will look very different.
The pandemic is far from over and as the world adjusts to the next phase of the pandemic, Emirates is optimistic that this will bring some stability, he said.
The Dubai-based carrier announced last week that staff salaries will be returned to 100pc from next month, after salary cuts were implemented in March as flights got suspended due to international closures for curbing the spread of coronavirus.
In July, Emirates president Tim Clark told the BBC in an interview that the airline planned to reduce its workforce by 15pc of pre-pandemic levels – cutting 9,000 of the 60,000 jobs it had pre-Covid-19.
Shaikh Ahmed told the GDN that, “Like other airlines, Covid-19 had a massive impact on our business, and we’ve had to make resource cuts across our business, including the right-sizing of our workforce.
“Having restarted operations wherever it is safe and commercially viable, Emirates’ footprint today is significantly smaller than before and it will take a while to recover to pre-pandemic levels.”
However, the carrier would recruit people, particularly in operations, as needed, he added.
Talking about other changes that the airline has lined up in it post-pandemic operations, the chairman and CEO said it would harness more technology and digital solutions that enable better planning and alignment of resources to passenger and cargo demand, in turn optimising operations.
“We are also evaluating further measures like using as much contactless technology solutions as possible, for a seamless on-the-ground and onboard experience.
Emirates, he said, continues to look at business continuity activities as well as different ways to reduce costs, “through renegotiating contacts with suppliers and lessors, enforcing fiscal discipline across the board, revenue management and smart network planning”.
“As we resume our operations in a scaled manner, we are confident that through different initiatives that demonstrate our preparedness and adaptability, we will successfully recapture demand and revive our revenue growth.”
