Emirates Airline, a Dubai-based airline carrier, announced intentions to include Chicago and Florida in its expanding network of destinations within the US. The decision was announced by
Emirates’ chairman Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum to the Associated Press news agency.
“The bilateral [agreements] between the UAE and the US are very much open. We always see more new destinations to be opened. Where? I think any big cities within the US are a possibility,” he said.
He added that
Emirates Airline is always ready to jump into new win-win deals with any US partner.
Emirates’ current destinations within the US include Washington DC, New York, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles. Detroit is in the process of being added due to the large demand for flights to Dubai as the city houses a massive Arab-American population.
There have been calls lately by passengers to create a new route between Detroit and Dubai City, not only because of the huge demand by passengers of Arab origin, but also by American businesspeople who see in Dubai a gateway to India.
“As more Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ERs join the fleet, Emirates will be able to pick and choose those cities it wants to fly to, putting direct pressure not just on US airlines that fly internationally, but also on domestic US airlines that also thrive off international traffic.”
Some American carriers, including United Airlines, are seizing the opportunity to create new routes to the Gulf, having seen that European carriers have lost out, and hoping to increase their competitiveness vis-à-vis Emirates and other Gulf airlines.
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