Aviation News – August 2022

Emirates’ Flagship A380 to Return to Perth’s Skies from 1 December 2022

Emirates will relaunch its flagship A380 to Perth on December 1 as part of the airline’s expansion of flights to Australia. With around 500 seats available on each trip, the upgauge will improve Emirates’ seating capacity between its hub in Dubai and Perth.

Flight EK420 from Dubai will take off at 02:45 and land in Perth at 17:20 the same day, while flight EK421 from Perth will take off at 22:20 and land in Dubai at 05:25 the next day. The daily Boeing 777-300ER service between Perth and Dubai will be replaced by the daily A380 service.

The upgauge coincides with Emirates’ 20th anniversary of servicing Perth’s skies and communities by providing unmatched connectivity to Dubai and throughout its extensive global network.

Since its first flight from Dubai to Perth back in August 2002, Emirates has carried almost 6 million people on over 24,000 trips, covering more than 220 million kilometres.

The airline increased its Perth operations from its initial four times weekly service as a result of the high demand for travel, the seamless connection it offered, along with its award-winning product and services. This expanded to a daily operation in May 2003, and in February 2006, Emirates’ first Perth lounge opened.

Emirates debuted its distinctive First Class Suites in March 2008 in response to the demand for its premium offering, which was expanded across other services. In May 2015, the airline made its maiden landing with its flagship A380, underscoring its continued dedication to the market and putting its customers first with great service and a premium travel experience in all classes.

During this time in Western Australia, Emirates has also been a steadfast supporter of organisations that are engaged in the arts, culture, and sports.

Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s cargo division, has also made a significant contribution to the local economy by shipping goods including livestock, produce, and mining equipment around the Middle East, Europe, and other continents.

Following the introduction of its Premium Economy on one of its daily Sydney trips on August 1, 2022, Emirates has experienced a considerable rise in passenger reservations to and from Australia and high demand across all of its cabins.

Eight of Emirates’ top ten most popular destinations for Australian travellers right now are located in European locations, which has been the strongest generator of demand for the airline. The UK sits at the top of the list, with Italy, France, Greece, and Ireland rounding out the top five. The final five places on the list—Spain, Lebanon, Germany, the Netherlands, and Turkey—make up the top 10.

A significant increase in the number of passengers who have enjoyed a quick stop in Dubai has been seen by Emirates, indicating that many of its customers are taking advantage of stopover travel.

The April 2022 debut of the Dubai Experience in 20 markets, including Australia, enables visitors to learn everything there is to know about Dubai and the UAE.

Due to the codeshare agreement between the two airlines, passengers of Emirates and Qantas may visit a wide range of locations. Customers may travel with Emirates and Qantas to more than 100 codeshare locations, including 55 locations in Australia and New Zealand. Customers of Qantas may use Emirates to travel to Dubai and to more than 50 other locations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Emirates remains focused on taking the stress out of travel and has led the industry in protecting the health of its customers with the assurance that the latest health and safety measures are in place at every step of the journey.

Customers are encouraged to check their latest government travel guidelines and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their final destination. For more information on entry requirements for Dubai, head over to https://www.emirates.com/au/english/help/covid-19/dubai-travel-requirements/

In addition to its Perth services, Emirates also operates twice daily A380 services from Dubai to Melbourne and Sydney, and once daily service from Dubai to Brisbane.

Tickets can be booked on emirates.com/au, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents.

---

Sandakan Tourism Association and Malaysia Airlines jointly launched “Discover A Great Deal More in Sandakan”

Sandakan Tourism Association (STAN) and Malaysia Airlines jointly launched the “Discover A Great Deal More in Sandakan” campaign to boost tourist arrivals to Sandakan, the second largest city in Sabah.

As part of the promotion, there are various deals on offer – ranging from airfare tickets, holidays packages and experiences – when booking from 5 to 19 August 2022 for immediate travel until 31 March 2023. 

The latest campaign offers domestic travellers to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan with a special one-way fare of RM179.00. Likewise, travellers from Singapore will also enjoy special discounted fares of up to 15% when flying from Singapore to Sandakan (via Kuala Lumpur).

Meanwhile, its tour operating arm, MHholidays, invites customers to enjoy flight and holiday packages, including hotel stays starting from RM509 in selected hotels and destinations in Sandakan. The first 20 customers who book a Junior Suite room at the Sabah Hotel Sandakan (minimum stay of two nights) will receive a Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) merchandise voucher worth RM100. The promotion is bookable at https://holidays.malaysiaairlines.com/mhholidays-home.html until 19 August 2022. MHholidays packages come with a baggage allowance of 35kg, complimentary onboard meals, and free seat selection and earn Enrich points.

In addition, travellers will also enjoy discount F&B or shopping vouchers provided by STAN members, such as Sabah Hotel, The Pavilion Hotel, Borneo Eco Tours, Balin Rooftop Bar, San Da Gen Kopitiam, Urban Café as well as KITA “Our Fresh Mart”.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Malaysia Airlines for this special campaign to further promote the Sandakan region domestically and to the Singapore market. Sandakan is wellknown as the gateway to Borneo’s wildlife. The name Sandakan may automatically conjure up the image of lush tropical rainforest, orang-utan, Bornean sun bear, proboscis monkey, pygmy elephant and more. However, there is a great deal more to be discovered in Sandakan other than our natural wonders. Culinary tourism is gaining popularity in Sandakan with our fresh seafood and unique local eats such as UFO tart and Avocado ABC. In addition, as the former capital city of British North Borneo, there are numerous heritage sites around the city with rich and fascinating stories waiting to be uncovered. Through this campaign, we hope to diversify Sandakan’s offerings and further strengthen Sandakan’s destination awareness in the tourism circuit”, said Mr. Teo Chee Kim, STAN Presiden

Group Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Lau Yin May commented, “With our commitment to #FlyConfidently, we have noticed a high appetite for travel, with most flights being 75 to 80 per cent full, demonstrating customer confidence to travel. This is an incredibly encouraging sign that tourism has been progressively returning to full recovery. With the upcoming festive season and long weekends, this is an excellent opportunity for Malaysians who recently redeemed the RM100 vouchers through the “Jom Cuti-Cuti Malaysia” campaign to use their vouchers on flights and enjoy our signature Malaysian Hospitality and well-deserved vacations to Sandakan and other parts of Sabah, whether for holidays or to reunite with loved ones.” 

Malaysia Airlines currently operates 10 weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Sandakan.

Malaysia Airlines Commemorated its Inaugural Flight to Haneda

Malaysia Airlines commemorated its inaugural direct flight MH36 (JL7096) between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Tokyo Haneda (HND) with a send-off event at KL International Airport on 14 August 2022. The flight departed sharp at 2.45pm local time.

Passengers were treated to specially choreographed cultural dance performances and goodie bags from Malaysia Airlines and Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad.

Among passengers on the inaugural flight were players from Johor Darul Ta’zim Football Club (JDTFC), en route to making history by becoming the first Malaysian team to qualify for the Asian Champions League’s final 16 stage (ACL), which will be held in Japan.

The twice-weekly service will be operated by A330-300 aircraft, equipped with 290 seats, comprising 27 seats in Business Class, 16 Economy with extra legroom, and 247 seats in Economy Class.

The new service will support Malaysia Airlines’ current Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo Narita operations, enabling more convenient and convenient itineraries and connectivity to destinations outside of Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo via the corresponding international hubs in Japan.

Photo credits: Respective brands

.