Originally Posted by
SWBKCB
I'm aware of that, but if it's no reflection on passenger numbers there must be another reason as presumably if you're making reductions the first thing you would look at is the lowest contributors.
Also, I thought Ramadan was the quiet time (which is why DXB do their runway work then).
And EK haven't used the A332 to the UK for a long time...
I don't think anyone is trying to say that, the way I read it the poster was being sarcastic... I'm certainly not anyway. If they have had to shave capacity for whatever reason, be it pilot shortages or not, then they will have chosen these routes based on a number of things, passenger numbers will be just one. I wouldn't have expected this route to be rammed to the gunnels every day during November on a B77W in what will be only it's second month of operation anyway. However, note it's still daily for peak winter travel time during mid Dec-mid Jan. I just don't think it's that big a deal, the viability of the route is not in doubt before it has even started just because they've dropped 2 flights a week at some of the quietest travel months of the year for UK air travel.
Ramadan is the quietest time, but there are already reductions in place due to the runway works then anyway. Nov and Feb are probably the quietest months outside of Ramadan based on CAA stats for the UK-DXB routes ie GLA-DXB drops off by around 7k a month compared to peak times.
I know, that is because they have long since left the fleet. Which was kind of my point... EK do not have any smaller aircraft that may have been more appropriate to launch with, at least not until the B781s arrive. So whereas all other UK regional routes have been able to grow into the B77W having started on A332, they no longer have that luxury with EDI. I'm sure EDI will develop just fine in the years to come though, just like the other routes have done...