Emirates will recommence direct daily flights to and from Adelaide from October 28, in a move being touted as a key milestone for South Australia's post-COVID economic recovery.
To be operated by a Boeing 777-200LR, each service will have 302 seats - 38 in business and 264 seats in economy. Emirates EK440 will depart from Dubai at 2am and arrive in Adelaide at 8.50pm. Emirates’ return flight EK441 will depart from Adelaide at 10.35pm and arrive in Dubai at 5.15am. All times are local.
The flight schedule connects passengers with Emirates’ prime European arrival and departure times offering a seamless travel experience and optimal connections of less than four hours.
The move is expected to generate more than $62 million per year in tourism expenditure and create more than 315 full-time equivalent tourism-related jobs for South Australians.
Each flight will also offer 14 tonnes of cargo space, totalling 196 tonnes weekly between Dubai and Adelaide. The value of freight exports is estimated to be $98 million per year.
Emirates flies to more than 140 destinations around the world and will provide Adelaide with flights from the Middle East, UK, Europe, India, and the east coast of the United States.
The airline first launched its Adelaide services in 2012 and carried more than 165,000 passengers between Dubai and Adelaide in 2019. The service ceased in March 2020 soon after the declaration of the global pandemic.
The relaunched Emirates flights will bring the number of international airlines flying to Adelaide to 10.
Emirates Divisional Vice President Australasia Barry Brown said the return of the service had been highly anticipated by passengers and industry for some time.
“We are equally as excited to again service South Australia and provide the state with opportunities across leisure, culture and tourism and support trade growth opportunities through our connection to Dubai and onwards to destinations worldwide,” Mr Brown said.
“The return of our Adelaide service completes our footprint in Australia serving five points across the country.”
Adelaide Airport Managing Director Brenton Cox said the return of Emirates was “great news for our customers who will once again benefit from Emirates’ extensive global network via Dubai”.
“It offers greater competition and choice for travellers, including through Emirates’ code-sharing arrangement with Qantas, connecting through the Middle East to Europe and Africa,” Mr Cox said.
“Equally it creates significant tourism and wider economic opportunities in attracting international visitors to Adelaide."
