Emirates to stick with schedule after consulting airport firms

Gulf carrier Emirates said it’s taken steps to bolster operations against the disruption that’s roiling Europe and other travel markets this summer following talks with airports and service providers.

The Dubai-based company plans to operate all 24,000 flights scheduled for July and August after co-ordinating with ground-handling providers at airports around the world, it said in a statement Thursday.

That includes routes to 39 destinations in Europe, 12 of them served by Airbus SE A380 double-deckers that can carry up to 615 people in configurations deployed by Emirates, putting airport infrastructure under particular strain. The company will resume flights to London Stansted from Aug. 1.

Staffing shortages following the coronavirus pandemic have led to delays and cancellations around the world, with the crunch most acute in Europe. British Airways on Wednesday extended schedule cuts aimed at avoiding last-minute disruption to almost 30,000 flights, or 13% of its April-October timetable. Deutsche Lufthansa AG is eliminating 3,100 services in July and August alone.

Emirates said it has also secured additional resources at its Dubai International Airport hub to ensure efficient operations.

Tim Clark, the carrier’s president, said on June 22 that capacity was at about 70% of former levels, though getting pilots and cabin crews back into service would take some time because of bottlenecks at training facilities.