ennui
7th May 2006, 22:58
From Melbourne Business Age, May 8 2006
Emirates flight plan has Australia as a key destination
By CHRIS HERDE
FOR Emirates Airline's Australia chief Eddie Lim, the sky is the limit.
And the fast-talking area manager of Melbourne-based Emirates believes Australia will continue to figure prominently in the expansion plans of the world's fastest-growing airline.
Emirates has said it aims to double its weekly services from its present 74, out of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
"We see the potential in Australia," Mr Lim said. "The demand is strong ... and with the current load factors we know there is scope for more passengers. "
In an industry where a 70 per cent load factor means at some stage business will have to be turned away, the Emirates' Australian operations at present is at about 80 per cent.
With demand strong, Emirates will battle with Qantas, Singapore Airlines and other carriers for a larger slice of the market in the future.
The Tourism Forecasting Council recently predicted that over the next decade international visitor arrivals to Australia will grow on average 5.5 per cent a year to about 9.2 million visitors.The number of Australians travelling overseas also is expected to grow 2.8 per cent a year to reach 6.5 million.
Mr Lim said bigger and more efficient planes were continually driving down actual costs and the trend should continue.
"We have had increases on fuel taxes but it has not impacted on travel," Mr Lim said. "One explanation for this is simple. If you look at the air fare ... and the fare you were paying 30 years ago ... it is a lot cheaper now.
"You name any other product that gives you this kind of situation. The sky is the limit for the airline industry. Every time we move from one aircraft to a larger one people were asking how do we fill the seats.
"Now we are thinking of moving from a capacity of 400 to 600. Who knows, over the next 20 years it might go up to a 1000 and that's what some of the aircraft manufacturers are thinking. "
Mr Lim said Emirates would continue to plot its own path.
This could include one day establishing its own low cost carrier, like Qantas' recent announcement of its subsidiary Jetstar going international.
A new airport is being built in Dubai to cater for low-cost operators while a new name for a possible budget subsidiary, Emirates Express, has been floated.
But Mr Lim said there no immediate plans for a cost airline. "Qantas can do their own thing and we like to do our own thing," he said.
Emirates flight plan has Australia as a key destination
By CHRIS HERDE
FOR Emirates Airline's Australia chief Eddie Lim, the sky is the limit.
And the fast-talking area manager of Melbourne-based Emirates believes Australia will continue to figure prominently in the expansion plans of the world's fastest-growing airline.
Emirates has said it aims to double its weekly services from its present 74, out of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
"We see the potential in Australia," Mr Lim said. "The demand is strong ... and with the current load factors we know there is scope for more passengers. "
In an industry where a 70 per cent load factor means at some stage business will have to be turned away, the Emirates' Australian operations at present is at about 80 per cent.
With demand strong, Emirates will battle with Qantas, Singapore Airlines and other carriers for a larger slice of the market in the future.
The Tourism Forecasting Council recently predicted that over the next decade international visitor arrivals to Australia will grow on average 5.5 per cent a year to about 9.2 million visitors.The number of Australians travelling overseas also is expected to grow 2.8 per cent a year to reach 6.5 million.
Mr Lim said bigger and more efficient planes were continually driving down actual costs and the trend should continue.
"We have had increases on fuel taxes but it has not impacted on travel," Mr Lim said. "One explanation for this is simple. If you look at the air fare ... and the fare you were paying 30 years ago ... it is a lot cheaper now.
"You name any other product that gives you this kind of situation. The sky is the limit for the airline industry. Every time we move from one aircraft to a larger one people were asking how do we fill the seats.
"Now we are thinking of moving from a capacity of 400 to 600. Who knows, over the next 20 years it might go up to a 1000 and that's what some of the aircraft manufacturers are thinking. "
Mr Lim said Emirates would continue to plot its own path.
This could include one day establishing its own low cost carrier, like Qantas' recent announcement of its subsidiary Jetstar going international.
A new airport is being built in Dubai to cater for low-cost operators while a new name for a possible budget subsidiary, Emirates Express, has been floated.
But Mr Lim said there no immediate plans for a cost airline. "Qantas can do their own thing and we like to do our own thing," he said.