Emirates adds third daily service to Birmingham Airport

“Stepping up our presence in Birmingham will give customers across our network and across the Midlands, greater flexibility in their travel plans. This is another significant investment in the UK market and we look forward to offering further choice and excellent value for money to travellers and businesses, including the cargo community,” said Hubert Frach, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president, commercial operations West. “As part of our continued commitment, we’re excited to become the only airline offering First Class to the region, with the introduction of our acclaimed First Class Private Suites.” 

Emirates started flying to Birmingham in December 2000 when it launched the route with a daily non-stop service, operated by a 278-seat Airbus A330. In the 14 years since, Emirates has carried over 4.9 million passengers to and from Birmingham. 

Passengers flying from the Midlands can travel to Dubai and beyond, to an ever expanding global network. Popular destinations on the Emirates network from Birmingham include Dubai, Australia, India, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong.   

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport CEO, said: “Emirates’ decision to add a third daily service to Dubai and beyond from Birmingham Airport clearly shows the strong demand that exists in the city and the region for passengers who want connectivity to Dubai, Asia and Australia. 

“Since the carrier began flying from Birmingham 14 years ago, passengers have been telling us how much they value the route and the excellent service they receive, so today’s announcement is great news for everyone. In addition to increased frequency, this new third service will operate on a three class Boeing 777-300ER, meaning passengers will be able to experience their excellent first class suites, the first time it has been offered on this route.” 

The new daily service will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three class configuration. The added capacity provides eight Private Suites in First Class, 42 Business Class seats and 310 Economy Class seats per day, as well as 23 tonnes of additional cargo capacity per flight. Popular commodities are expected to include; seafood, clothing, vehicle parts and foodstuffs. 

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: “Emirates decision to add yet another daily flight to Birmingham builds on its existing success of tapping into a regional UK market that is underserved and largely overlooked by other operators. 

“Not only will the additional Dubai-Birmingham service provide more capacity for both cargo and passengers, but adding in a new First Class service also allows Emirates to leverage the demand from high fare, high yield passengers.” 

He added: “It also makes use of Birmingham Airports new extended runway for better flights under various weather conditions and provides customers with even more choice to fly to Dubai and beyond.”