Dubai-based Emirates Airline has announced its readiness to launch a premium economy class on its flights.
Emirates, one of the largest international airlines based in Dubai, may soon offer passengers seats in the premium economy class, combining luxury with reasonable prices, amid lower costs for Middle Eastern customers, Bloomberg reports citing Emirates President Tim Clark .
Emirates, which focuses on “oil-rich markets,” previously avoided “economy plus” packages, but the Dubai-based airline has now encountered a number of difficulties with filling one of the world's largest jet aircraft fleets. Now Emirates, which will become the only major Middle Eastern airline to present a premium economy, reported the first decline in annual sales over the past ten years in March, while the share of first and business class in total occupancy fell by 3.2 percentage points.
Last week in Dublin, Clark said: “The industry’s work today must adapt to the growing demand in other segments that don’t bring as much as corporate segments.”
A business class flight from Dubai to London and back with Emirates in mid-June was valued at 16.3 thousand dirhams ($ 4.4 thousand), compared with 2.4 thousand dirhams ($ 657) in economy class. This is comparable to the premium British Airways.
The Premium Economy includes more legroom compared to the Economy and some of the additional amenities that have become commonplace since Virgin Atlantic was launched in 1992.
Emirates and its regional rivals Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi traditionally offer economy, business and first class. At the same time, the Qatari carrier began to phase out the first class, and Emirates began to offer only business and economy on some of its Airbus Group SE A380s.
Qatar Airways and Etihad told Bloomberg that they did not plan to add a premium economy class on their flights.
