Emirates doubles its connectivity in one year, with access to 1,700 global cities beyond its network

Last year, Emirates doubled the number of cities it serves beyond its own network, opening up travel opportunities to nearly 1,700 additional cities. This has enabled an average of more than 61,000 passengers to seamlessly connect to Emirates and its partners’ shared networks every week.

By forging new and deepening existing partnerships across the transportation ecosystem, the airline offers a variety of additional travel options alongside 31 codeshare, 118 interline, and 13 rail and helicopter service partners. Having 162 partners in over 100 countries means an expanded network reach with more and better connections for travelers, seamless single ticket itineraries, enhanced baggage transfers, frequent flyer benefits, lounge access, and other perks to ensure a seamless travel experience at every touchpoint.

For Emirates’ partner airline customers, popular destinations are even closer thanks to Emirates’ robust network of over 140 destinations and the frictionless connectivity offered by DXB, complemented by industry-leading experiences on the ground and in the air – all within easy reach.

Last year, Emirates launched 16 new partnerships including codeshares with Avianca and Batik Air Malaysia and the airline also finalised and implemented interline agreements with KAM Air, Sri Lankan Airlines, Condor, Flynas, Viva Aerobus, Sun Express, Maldivian, Siberia Airlines and Kenya Airways.

From plane to train, Emirates customers are now just a ticket away from fast connections to cities across Europe thanks to codeshare agreements with Trenitalia, Spanish Rail Renfe, Austrian Rail OBB and Swedish Rail SJ. The airline was also the first full-service airline to sign an innovative interline partnership with BLADE, an urban air mobility company, to offer Emirates customers helicopter flights between Nice and Monaco on a single ticket.

Adnan Kazim, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline, said: “Last year, we doubled down on our strategy to deepen our global presence and expand our footprint across six continents by forging new partnerships with like-minded airlines, rail partners and air mobility operators to offer a huge choice of destinations, connectivity options and seamless ‘last mile’ access for travellers like never before. While organic growth will always be at the heart of our plans, we will continue to leverage the strength of our partners’ complementary networks as part of our commitment to help our customers reach every corner of the world in the easiest way possible. World-class connectivity keeps economies strong and resilient, and our partnership growth ambitions align with Dubai’s D33 strategy to make our home and hub the most connected city in the world, attracting business, tourism and investment from around the world.”  

Over the years, Emirates’ numerous partnerships have paved the way for the airline to form strong networks that not only connect customers to unique hubs, but also provide the advantages of schedule optimisation, seamless connectivity at DXB with access to Terminal 3, as well as reciprocal loyalty benefits. Its foundational partnership with flydubai is an exceptional example of how joint cooperation results in smoother journeys and more customer benefits. Today, customers have access to over 230 destinations across 100 countries, with 275 codeshare flights to choose from on an average day. Emirates customers can book flights to over 90 unique flydubai destinations and flydubai customers can choose from over 100 Emirates destinations. As a result, over 17.5 million passengers have connected to the joint Emirates and flydubai networks since the partnership was launched in 2017.

For leisure travellers heading to popular destinations such as the Maldives, Emirates’ unique interline partnership with Maldivian allows customers to access 16 islands beyond Male. Emirates’ partnership with Pro Flight Zambia provides access to 13 points served by the South African carrier, including unique regional getaways such as the Lower Zambezi National Park, a short trip from Lusaka that offers a captivating safari experience.

The airline’s premier alliances with United, Air Canada and Qantas continue to provide unrivaled access for its customers to more than 350 destinations across North, Central and South America, Australia and New Zealand, expanding connecting opportunities, providing unmatched reciprocity on loyalty programs, as well as other world-class customer benefits such as lounge access.

Emirates continues to expand city pairs on a single ticket and drive connectivity and choice through a number of other strategic partnerships across the airline’s network, including:

Americas: Emirates customers can access more than 375 cities via United, Air Canada and other partner airlines in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and Central and South America. Customers connecting across Emirates’ network from Dubai can choose from exclusive destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Central and South Asia.

Europe: Travellers can access more than 380 cities via seven codeshares, 33 interlines and 12 rail and air mobility partners including Condor, ITA Airways, Air Malta, Air Baltic, Aegean Airlines, TAP Portugal and Siberia Airlines, in addition to Emirates’ rail partners in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Austria and Sweden providing ground transfers and the flexibility to explore multiple cities on one ticket.

Asia: Emirates’ Asian network is further strengthened through the airline’s 12 codeshare partners and 42 interline partners serving over 500 popular cities across the Far East, West Asia and the Indian Ocean, as well as the Middle East.

Australia: Emirates’ long-standing partnership with Qantas provides access to more than 85 Australian cities, while Qantas customers can fly with Emirates to Dubai and access more than 45 cities across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa beyond Qantas’ existing international network.

Africa: Emirates’ presence in Africa expands to over 210 regional hubs across 5 codeshare partners and 18 interline partners, offering superior connectivity and value for customers with more flight options to smaller regional hubs across the continent.

Emirates Skywards, the airline’s loyalty programme, and Emirates SkyCargo also work closely with codeshare and interline partners to support and complement the network and loyalty programme frameworks that ensure both passengers and cargo customers take full advantage of the benefits of the airline’s leading partnerships. On the operational side, Emirates Airport Services plays a critical role in ensuring teams are available to help customers seamlessly connect from flight to flight and access the airline’s exclusive lounges in Dubai and at outstations.

Source: Emirates.