Emirates is resuming flights to 10 more cities in the coming months, including Washington DC, Auckland, Colombo, and more. The airline has slowly increased destinations in the last month as the UAE allowed transit passengers and demand slowly returns. Let's find out more.

More routes resume

Emirates has been slowly resuming flights to a number of its destinations in the last month, as countries ease flight restrictions. The airline is already serving 25 key destinations around the world, as it looks to continue restoring its route map. UAE's decision to lift transit restrictions has been a huge boon to Emirates, allowing it to connect passengers globally once again.

In this round of flight resumptions, Emirates is adding ten more cities over the next month. Colombo will see flights from 20th June, Sialkot from 24th June, and Istanbul from 25th June. Auckland, Brussels, Beirut, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City will see flights from July 1st, and Barcelona and Washington DC from 15th July.

Empty flights to Asia

Emirates will be running empty flights to Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Vietnam for the time being. This means that the flights will not carry any outbound passengers and only inbound ones. The reason for this is likely that countries do not want to risk any imported cases of the coronavirus, but do still want those wishing to leave to be able to do so.

While this might seem uneconomical at first, but airlines are hoping to capitalize on pent-up demand in countries. This demand comes mainly from foreign nationals and those with long-term visas who are looking to travel home. Most countries do still have border controls in place, only allowing residents to enter, meaning these flights will not attract leisure travelers.

Emirates is not the only airline taking up such flight. Lufthansa made a similar proposal to the Indian government earlier this month. Countries are still reluctant to allow passengers in, but usually do not have an issue allowing people to leave. However, those considering travel must check whether they will be allowed into the destination country and might be subjected to quarantines on arrival.

Adding frequencies

In a sign that demand is returning, Emirates is adding frequencies to a number of major cities. London, Manchester, Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich, Madrid, Amsterdam, Dublin, New York JFK, Toronto, Copenhagen, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Hong Kong, will all see more flights in the coming weeks. While frequencies are not close to pre-pandemic levels, they will still offer travelers more options for connecting flights.

With all of these additions, Emirates is now serving 40 cities all over the world. This number is a far cry from its previous 161 destinations, but does show that the aviation industry is making a steady recovery. However, Emirates is currently making drastic cuts, laying off hundreds of staff, and planning the future of its fleet. The airline has said that it could take until 2024 to reach its pre-pandemic levels, reminding everyone of the threat the industry is currently facing.

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