Emirates expands its Asia presence

May 22, 2024

11 minutes read

Bonza, an Australian low-cost airline, announced last April 29th the suspension of operations. The company had six Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet, including aircraft with Australian and Canadian registrations.

Its first flight was on January 31st, 2023. Tim Jordan, Bonza’s CEO, had said on its first anniversary, “It really is a Bonzaversary to remember’ since our inaugural flight on 31 January 2023′ Bonza has expanded to operate 38 routes to 21 destinations from three bases and’ of these routes’ 84% are unique to Bonza”.

“We have big plans for 2024 and the Australian public will benefit. We predict we will save domestic travelers around an additional $250 million next year. Competition in Australian skies is a fantastic thing for Australian travelers and more than 750,000 customers have already experienced the benefits of Bonza,” he concluded.

Bonza was forced to cease operations after lessor AIP Capital removed flight manuals from some of the airline’s aircraft.

Emirates continues its expansion in Asia with the launch of new routes, as well as an increase in weekly frequencies.

What are the airline’s current destinations in this market?

Ahmedabad, Angeles City, Auckland, Baghdad, Bangalore, Bangkok, Basra, Beijing, Brisbane, Cebu, Chennai, Cochin, Colombo, Delhi, Denpasar, Dhaka, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Jakarta, Karachi, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, Male, Manila, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, Osaka, Perth, Peshawar, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sialkot, St. Petersburg, Sydney, Tehran, Tokyo (HND and NRT) and Trivandrum.

We will review Emirates’ new developments later in the report.

These are other highlights of the Asia/Oceania market in May

Air India will operate a new international route with its Airbus A350s.

Aurora to fly between Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Beijing.

Bhutan Airlines adds two new connections.

Cambodia Angkor Air will serve Da Nang from Phnom Penh.

Cebu Pacific launches a new route to Bangkok.

China Eastern will have flights between Beijing Daxing and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi.

China Southern and its new routes.

Korean Air launches its first international destination from Jeju.

Lao Airlines began flights between Pakse and Guangzhou.

Malaysia Airlines confirms three new international connections.

Myanmar Airways International (MAI) will launch flights to Doha.

Nauru Airlines, the only company to operate between Australia and Palau.

Qantas and its developments in the Asian market.

SpiceJet will commence a new route, which will be operated with Sky Angkor Airlines’ Airbus A320.

Tigerair Taiwan announces three new connections from Taichung.

Air India

As of June 1st, the airline will start operating between Mumbai and Dubai with its new Airbus A350-900s. According to our database, Air India performs this route on Airbus A319, Airbus A320 and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Daily (A350)

AI 983 Mumbai BOM 20:25 · 21:55 DXB Dubai
AI 984 Dubai DXB 23:40 · 04:20+1 BOM Mumbai

Mumbai – Dubai will be Air India’s second international Airbus A350 route, after Delhi – Dubai.

Aurora

The carrier will open a new international connection from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk beginning June 11th. In line with its website, services will be available until late August.

Tuesday

HZ 4696 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk UUS 23:30 · 00:25+1 PKX Beijing

Wednesday

HZ 4697 Beijing PKX 01:35 · 08:05 UUS Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

Harbin is currently its only international destination to/from the Russian city. The other connections are Blagoveshchensk, Iturup, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Okha, Petropavlovsk, Shakhtyorsk, Sovetskaya, Tymovskoye and Yuzhno-Kurilsk, all in Russia.

Bhutan Airlines

From September, the airline plans to add services to Bangalore and Mumbai.

Operations will be combined with Kolkata, using Airbus A319-100 aircraft in both cases.

Mumbai · September 24th

Monday

B3 738 Paro PBH 15:15 · 15:55 CCU Kolkata
B3 738 Kolkata CCU 16:25 · 19:05 BOM Mumbai
B3 739 Mumbai BOM 08:35 · 12:20 PBH Paro (Tuesday)

Thursday

B3 738 Paro PBH 10:30 · 11:10 CCU Kolkata
B3 738 Kolkata CCU 11:40 · 14:20 BOM Mumbai
B3 739 Mumbai BOM 04:00 · 07:40 PBH Paro (Friday)

Bangalore · September 25th

Tuesday

B3 738 Paro PBH 15:15 · 15:55 CCU Kolkata
B3 738 Kolkata CCU 16:25 · 19:05 BLR Bangalore
B3 739 Bangalore BLR 04:00 · 07:40 PBH Paro

Friday

B3 738 Paro PBH 10:30 · 11:10 CCU Kolkata
B3 738 Kolkata CCU 11:40 · 14:20 BLR Bangalore
B3 739 Bangalore BLR 04:00 · 07:40 PBH Paro (Saturday)

Cambodia Angkor Air

Phnom Penh – Da Nang, Cambodia Angkor Air’s new route.

Effective July 11th, lights are scheduled twice a week with 186-seat Airbus A320-200 aircraft.

Thursday and Sunday

K6 846 Phnom Penh PNH 10:20 · 11:35 DAD Da Nang
K6 847 Da Nang DAD 12:25 · 13:40 PNH Phnom Penh

Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Nanning, Siem Reap (Cambodia) and Zhengzhou are the current routes of Cambodia Angkor Air in Phnom Penh. For its part, the airline operates to Da Nang from Siem Reap.

Cebu Pacific

Starting July 16th, Cebu Pacific will launch services between Manila and Bangkok (DMK). As stated on its website, the carrier will offer three weekly flights on this route using 180-seat Airbus A320-200 jets.

Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday

5J 863 Manila MNL 19:25 · 22:00 DMK Bangkok
5J 864 Bangkok DMK 23:00 · 03:40+1 MNL Manila

China Eastern

For the following month, China Eastern Airlines will be flying between Beijing Daxing and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi.

The first operation will be on May 27th, according to its website. These services will be carried out on Airbus A320s with a capacity of 158 passengers in single class, until late June.

Daily except Thursday

MU 2071 Beijing PKX 19:15 · 23:20 BKK Bangkok

Daily except Friday

MU 2072 Bangkok BKK 00:40 · 06:35 PKX Beijing

Thai Vietjet Air currently operates one daily frequency between the two airports with A320 airplanes.

China Southern

The airline will open five new international routes from China between June and July.

Harbin (HRB) – Hong Kong (HKG): 2 weekly · June 2nd
Zhengzhou (CGO) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL): 7 weekly · June 20th
Guangzhou (CAN) – Islamabad (ISB): 3 weekly · June 25th
Guangzhou (CAN) – Budapest (BUD): 4 weekly · June 27th
Beijing (PKX) – Singapore (SIN): 7 weekly · July 1st

In addition, last May 11th, China Southern Airlines inaugurated its services between Shenzhen and Mexico City. We will talk more about this in the Latin America report.

China West

At 19:39 on May 16th, China West Airlines’ first flight from Chongqing landed in Hanoi. The company will offer two frequencies per week on Airbus A320s.

Tuesday and Saturday

PN 6575 Chongqing CKG 18:55 · 20:00 HAN Hanoi
PN 6576 Hanoi HAN 21:00 · 00:15+1 CKG Chongqing

In the next Asia/Oceania report, we will mention two new routes that China West will inaugurate in mid-June.

Emirates

As mentioned above, the airline will have the following changes in the Asian market, all from/to Dubai:

Kuala Lumpur (KUL): July 1st · first flight with Airbus A380
Ahmedabad (AMD): October 27th · first flight with Airbus A350
Mumbai (BOM): October 27th · first flight with Airbus A350
Colombo (CMB): January 1st, 2025 · first flight with Airbus A350
Kuala Lumpur (KUL): January 1st, 2025 · increase from 7 to 14 (A380)
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN): January 15th, 2025 · increase from 7 to 14

Furthermore, Emirates resumed services between Dubai and Phnom Penh on May 1st. The company will operate under the following schedule, in accordance with our database:

Daily

EK 348 Dubai DXB 02:30 · 14:05 SIN Singapore
EK 348 Singapore SIN 15:35 · 16:35 PNH Phnom Penh

EK 349 Phnom Penh PNH 20:50 · 23:50 SIN Singapore
EK 349 Singapore SIN 01:40 · 04:55 DXB Dubai (following day)

Iran Airtour

Iran Airtour’s Airbus A310-324, registered EP-MDH, entered service last May 12th. The Iranian airline had incorporated this 33-year-old aircraft in May 2023, following its retirement from Mahan Air.

Fleet

Airbus A300-600: 4
Airbus A310-300: 4
Airbus A320-200: 1
McDonnell Douglas MD-82: 5
McDonnell Douglas MD-83: 1
McDonnell Douglas MD-87: 1

Jetstar Japan

On May 8th, the Japanese carrier began international operations with Airbus A321LRs.

The Tokyo Narita – Shanghai Pudong route will be offered between two and three weekly times as follows:

GK 035 Tokyo NRT 22:25 · 00:50+1 PVG Shanghai
GK 036 Shanghai PVG 02:05 · 06:20 NRT Tokyo

Jetstar Japan also operates this leg on Airbus A320-200 aircraft.

Korean Air

As of July 19th, the South Korean carrier will offer three services a week between Jeju and Tokyo Narita. Operations will be performed with 173-seat Boeing 737-900ER planes.

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

KE 2125 Jeju CJU 13:05 · 15:35 NRT Tokyo
KE 2126 Tokyo NRT 16:35 · 19:25 CJU Jeju

The Japanese capital will be Korean Air’s first international destination from Jeju, as its current destinations are Busan, Cheongju, Daegu, Gwangju, Jinju, Seoul Gimpo, Ulsan and Yeosu. Busan and Seoul Incheon are its connections from Tokyo Narita.

Lao Airlines

Guangzhou, new Lao Airlines destination.

The company began flights from Pakse, Laos, on May 19th using Airbus A320 aircraft.

Sunday

QV 888 Pakse PKZ 23:05 · 02:05+1 CAN Guangzhou

Monday

QV 889 Guangzhou CAN 03:05 · 04:05 PKZ Pakse

Current routes – Pakse

Guangzhou (CAN): 1 weekly · Airbus A320 (Lao Airlines)
Ho Chi Minh City (SGN): 3 weekly · ATR 72 (Lao Airlines)
Luang Prabang (LPQ): 3 weekly · ATR 72 (Lao Airlines)
Siem Reap (SAI): 3 weekly · ATR 72 (Lao Airlines)
Vientiane (VTE): 17 weekly · A320/ATR 72 (Lao Airlines)
Vientiane (VTE): 2 weekly · Xian MA-60 (Lao Skyway)

Malaysia Airlines

The airline announced the expansion of its network, with the opening of three new international connections from Kuala Lumpur (all with Boeing 737-800s):

Male (MLE): 7 weekly · August 1st
Chiang Mai (CNX): 5 weekly · August 15th
Da Nang (DAD): 7 weekly · September 24th