Emirates Airlines sees strong passenger rise

Ashwini Phadnis

DUBAI, Nov. 5

DESPITE the untoward incidents in the US on September 11 affecting the airline business, the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines has been witnessing a steady rise in the passenger loads in the past few week and hopes to end the year carrying around 7.5 million passengers.

``Last week, the load factors were at 68 per cent up from 62 per cent passenger load factor the previous week. The 68 per cent load factor is helping the airline break even,'' the airline's Group Managing Director, Mr Maurice Flanagan, told Business Line.

The airline has seen strong passenger demand on several routes including those between Dubai and Karachi, Dubai-Islamabad and Dubai-London among others, Mr Flanagan said. The airline Chairman, Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoun, said the airline was on course to report a profit this year also. However, he refused to give projections just yet.

Meanwhile, in a bid to attract more tourists to the region, the Dubai Airport Authority and the Dubai Duty Free have tied up with CNN International. The two-year $2.5-million TV campaign, which takes the viewer on a `cultural voyage' of Dubai commenced on CNN International on Sunday and is expected to reach 241 million viewers in Europe, Asia, Africa, West Asia and Latin America.

The campaign consists of 24 different vignettes or mini-documentaries which will focus on the cultural heritage of Dubai and encompasses falconry, henna, pearl diving, perfumery, Arabian horses, architecture, Dhow building among others.

Further more, the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation has also announced plans for an additional concourse for its terminal three. Earlier this year, a $1.4-billion expansion plan was announced by the Emirates Chairman, which included the construction of terminal 3 and concourse 2. Now, with further studies being done, the need for a third concourse has been felt.

``Keeping in mind the ever-growing demands of not just the travel industry, but also the cargo industry the plans for Dubai International airport's second phase of expansion have been revised to include concourse 3. The cost of the entire expansion has been revised and it will now be to the tune of $2.5 billion,'' senior officials said.

The second phase of Dubai international airport will now include the construction of terminal 3 and concourse 2 and an additional concourse 3 -- all of which will be exclusively for Emirates, and a cargo mega terminal.

The construction work is expected to begin by early 2002 and finish by 2006. The cargo mega terminal will be built in phase and be completed by 2018.