Emirates mulls services to second-tier US cities

Emirates (EK, Dubai International) is mulling launching new routes to the United States, possibly including services to second-tier cities currently lacking Middle Eastern connectivity, CEO Tim Clark told Skift in an interview.

Clark said that demand for US travel is currently growing after earlier slumps caused by the electronics ban, the US travel ban for citizens of certain Muslim-majority countries, and the economic downturn in the United Arab Emirates. This allows the carrier to think about restoring higher frequencies on its existing US routes, as well as launching new ones.

Emirates could use the incoming new-generation Boeing jets on the market, as they would allow the carrier to serve thinner routes, Clark added.

"Imagine the B787-9 going into some of these cities or even the B777-8. It’s still a big airplane, but it’s not an A380-800. You’ve got much more [appropriate] capacity for fitting the demand for these second or third-level tier cities than you might have with an A380," Clark said.

Emirates currently has orders for thirty-five B777-8s and 115 B777-9s directly with the manufacturer. The carrier also announced a commitment for forty B787-10s with conversion rights to -9s in November 2017.

At the same time, Clark acknowledged that Emirates would likely face opposition from US carriers if it resumed growth in the country.

Clark also underlined that Emirates never said it would not launch any further fifth-freedom routes to the US, despite earlier media reports. The Emirati carrier's boss highlighted that Emirates agreed to be more transparent about its finances but only said that fifth-freedom operations are not its core business, without any promises regarding the future of this type of flights.

According to the ch-aviation capacity module, Emirates currently serves Boston, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale International, Houston Intercontinental, Los Angeles International, New York JFK, New York Newark, Orlando International, San Francisco, Seattle Tacoma International, and Washington Dulles in the United States. One service daily to each of New York JFK and Newark is operated as a fifth-freedom flight via Milan Malpensa and Athens, respectively.