Emirates Returns To Bali With The 777 After A 2 Year Absence

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On May 1, after a two-year hiatus, Emirates returned to the popular Indonesian tourist destination of Bali. The route will be served by Boeing 777 aircraft and operate five times per week before ramping up to daily services in two months' time.

From Dubai to Bali

At 22:15 local time, Emirates flight 398 (EK398) landed at Denpasar International Airport (DPS) and was welcomed by the traditional water cannon salute used for new aircraft and new routes. The flight was due to leave Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 09:10 local time but departed 40 minutes late at 09:50. Despite the delay, it landed in Bali five minutes ahead of schedule, at 22:15 local time.

Emirates Boeing 777 Water cannon salute in Bali

Emirates first began flights on this route in 2019. Photo: Emirates

After the flight, passengers and crew were welcomed at the airport with a traditional joged bumbung dance performance, a reflection of the unique culture of Bali and its heritage. After the dance, passengers and crew were served cake after a cake cutting ceremony which was attended by DPS airport officials.

The resumption of flights is due to the easing of international restrictions and the rise in demand for passenger travel. Emirates' route from Dubai to Bali will operate five times per week until July 1, when Emirates will begin daily service. Flight EK398 will depart Dubai at 09:10 local time and will land in Bali at 22:20 local time. Return flight EK399 will depart Bali at 00:05 local time, and arrive in Dubai at 05:00.

"Emirates continues to invest in the comfort and safety of its customers both on air and on ground. The airline has implemented a comprehensive set of measures throughout all to provide its passengers with the highest safety standards at every step of the journey. Customers travelling from Dubai can also take advantage of the contactless biometric path at Dubai International for a quicker journey at the airport with minimum to no human interaction." Emirates

Emirates 777-300ER lining up for takeoff on runway 24L at LAX — Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Simple Flying has contacted Emirates for comment and has not yet received a response. This article will be updated, if and when a response is received.

Recent Emirates news

Coming out of the pandemic, Emirates has plans to hire a large number of staff for various roles around the world. Just a few days ago, the Dubai-based airline announced that it has received over 300,000 applications from around the world for its cabin crew position.

"Next year will be a “milestone” in terms of getting back to the level of operations where the airline had left it before the coronavirus pandemic. The focus remains on recovering the Emirates’ network and capacity, which will be the core. For us, next year will be the year of full recovery — 100%. That’s what we aim for.” - Emirates

Emirates also has plans to operate its full pre-pandemic schedule by next year. Currently, only 15 of Emirates' pre-pandemic routes are suspended. This number will drop to 11 by the end of the year as Emirates will be resuming flights to London Stansted in August, Buenos Aires (via Rio de Janeiro) and Rio de Janeiro in November, and Christchurch in December. At the moment, Emirates is currently operating at 70% of its pre-pandemic capacity and hopes to expand to 80% by summer.