might be one of the most iconic airlines of all time. The Dubai-based carrier has built a brand centered on luxury and long-haul flights. From its massive hub at 
Dubai International Airport
, the airline connects passengers across the world with its fleet of widebody aircraft. And it does so with style, as the airline offers one of the most luxurious onboard products of any carrier in the world.
Photo: jremes84 | Shutterstock
Emirates is allegedly considering additions to its already robust global network. These new routes will see additional services to China and other Asian destinations, along with some expansion in Europe and Africa. This news comes as European carriers pull back on services to China due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
New routes for Emirates
Emirates might be adding new destinations this summer as part of its expansion. According to Bloomberg, the airline plans to begin daily services to Shenzhen, China, using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. While not the massive Airbus A380 that the airline is known for, the 777 still seats an impressive 364-442 passengers depending on the configuration. Emirates believes it can profitably fly this aircraft to Shenzhen by tapping into feeder traffic at its Dubai hub.
Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock
Despite the anticipated start of the route coming this summer, Emirates’ new Shenzhen service has already been delayed several times following its initial announcement. These delays came as Emirates faced longer-than-expected waits for new aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus. The carrier has since received its first of many Airbus A350
aircraft, which could indicate that aircraft delivery delays are no longer a major concern for the airline.
According to sources close to Emirates’ network planning and internal memos, more additions to the airline’s route map are imminent. The carrier also plans to launch service to Hangzhou, on the east coast of China, this summer. Emirates’ Asia-heavy expansion includes other destinations as well, with several potential cities being added this year. These include:
- Chengdu, China
- Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Da Nang, Vietnam
- Helsinki, Finland
- Siem Reap, Cambodia
Photo: Airbus
The same memos reported that Emirates’ brand-new Airbus A350
aircraft could be deployed on the Dubai to Helsinki route, though this has not been confirmed. Internal sources also warned that these new additions have not yet been finalized, and some of the routes might be delayed from their targeted launch.
It is worth noting that some of these routes would be operated as fifth-freedom flights, in which a carrier connects two cities that are not in the flight’s country of origin. Emirates already operates several of these routes, and this new expansion could welcome more fifth-freedom flying into the carrier’s strategy. Emirates was not immediately available for comment.
Related
Emirates Chief Believes Airlines Would Buy The A380 Again With Some Mods
However. Airbus has already replaced the A380’s assembly line with an assembly line for the A321neo.
European airlines are scaling back China flying
Emirates’ Chinese expansion comes as its European rivals are scaling back services to China. Despite being among the world’s largest economies, the Europe-to-China market is facing unique challenges that make flying routes between the two continents costly and difficult. For one, airlines like 
British Airways
Lufthansa, and 
SAS
have been facing more intense competition from Chinese rivals.
Photo: Lufthansa
Meanwhile, the conflict with Russia has closed Russian airspace to European carriers. As a result, they have to fly less direct routes to China, which require more fuel and raise costs. Due to these challenges, airlines based in Europe have been scaling back. For example, Lufthansa cut its Frankfurt to Beijing route recently. It cited high costs and fierce competition as the reasoning behind the decision.
Photo: Emirates
Emirates is likely trying to capitalize on this trend, leveraging the geographic strength of its Dubai hub to connect passengers to more Chinese destinations. While how many destinations the airline actually ends up launching this year is unknown, it seems Emirates is eager to take advantage of new opportunities in such a dynamic and competitive industry.
