OAGhas revealed a list of the highest revenue-generating routes from around the world, with Emirates' securing one of the top spots for its London Heathrow to Dubai flights. The non-stop route generated close to US$800 million in 2018.
The airline appeared third in the ‘Top Ten Highest Revenue Routes by Airline’ between April 2018 and March 2019 with its route from London Heathrow to Dubai International airport. Operating 6 daily flights, this route generated US$769,201,645 over 31,943 hours of scheduled flight time, equivalent to US$24,926 per hour within this time period. In 2018, the route carried 2,674,872 passengers, although this was 16.6% less than in 2017.
However, 2017 was a more profitable year for the London Heathrow to Dubai route with more than US$33 million generated over an additional 435 hours of flight time scheduled on the route. The revenue per hour generated on this route in 2018 was3% less thanin 2017, which may be partly to blame on the airline’s increased operating costswith the inflation of jet fuel prices and foreign exchange rates.
That said, Emirates’ overall passenger revenue increased by 5.8%, in 2018, to over 78 billion AED (equivalent to around US$21 billion) with 58.6 million passengers carried. Emirates flies to over 140 destinations and flights to and from Europe, including London Heathrow, made up 29.4% of the airline’s revenue in 2018 - 6% more than in the previous year.
Flying London to Dubai on the Airbus A380
The route between London Heathrow and Dubai International is flown by the prestigious Airbus A380. It became an all A380 servicein 2013and today, Emirates is the world’s leading operator of A380s. It has110 in its fleet, each characterized by two complete passenger decks.
According to its annual report, Emirates bought seven A380s and six Boeing 777s in 2018. The airline also has plans to expand further with six additional A380s by 2020 and will retire eight of its Boeing 777s in order to keep its fleet young.
Emirates has said that it is committed to generating more flexible options when it comes to its aircraft and so have placed orders for A330neos and A350s to update the fleet. These planes will replace some of the Airbus A380's that would have otherwise been ordered.
The move to update its fleet comes alongside the news that Emirates also plans to completely retire its A380s in the 2030s. But for now, the airline will continue running them and has already made plans to introduce another seating class on its A380s for its passengers.
Introducing: Premium Economy
Premium economy is now becoming a standard for long-haul flights and Emirates is now working to introduce this class on its A380s. It will offer passengers a slight upgrade from economy class, ensuring they feel treated, whilst not having to fork out the money to sit in business. It will include an improved service and better food along with more legroom and dedicated washrooms.
The plan is to have premium economy installed on the new A380s arriving in the fleet, six of which will be delivered in 2020. With a premium economy option on its long-haul flights, including London Heathrow to Dubai, Emirates could see profits soar as it tempts its passengers with more luxurious flights.