Emirates country manager Paul Fleri Soler had no idea when he accepted the job 15 years ago that this obscure airline would grow so rapidly into one of the best in the world.
Malta was the 41st destination for the Dubai airline, which now connects 137 destinations in 77 countries across six continents.
The airline added seven new destinations in 2013 and will add three others in the first quarter of 2014. The service between Milan and New York will be a viable option for Maltese wishing to travel to the US, using Air Malta to Italy.
It recently announced a $45 billion order for 50 new aircraft, which will be added to its 208-strong all-wide-bodied aircraft, bringing its total order book up to 385. By 2020 it expects to fly 70 million passengers.
“The strategic location of Dubai makes it possible for us to serve almost 90 per cent of the world’s population with non-stop flights. Over a third of the world’s popul-ation lives within a four-hour flight from Dubai and two-thirds are within an eight-hour flight,” Mr Fleri Soler said.
Emirates originally came to Malta in 1998 because it considered it to be the optimum base for flights to Tripoli once the sanctions had been lifted. It is now flying to Tripoli three times a week, but the airline still sees the Malta destination as being interesting enough to grow.
It has already carried nearly half a million passengers and it added over 27,000 seats to the Malta route in 2013 alone, compared with a year earlier. By using the larger Boeing 777 its cargo capacity also grew, from 13 tonnes to 17 tonnes.
A number of industries, particularly high- value ones, rely on the daily air links to transport their products, including raw produce and pharmaceuticals.
Emirates eventually added the Tripoli flights, introduced in September, and these were a huge success; once the situation there is stable, things can only get better. There are numerous Libyans and expats working there who take the direct flight from Tripoli to Dubai, with those bound for Tripoli flying from Dubai via Malta.
This has been a boon for those stopping in Malta, as they are spared the stop-over in Cyprus. There are no plans for Malta-Libya traffic, however.
The airline’s impact on the economy – apart from the passenger traffic it generates – is sometimes easy to under-estimate. Its crew book 15 rooms in a 5-star hotel every night, with 300 meals prepared by Sky Gourmet. It also purchases a considerable amount of aviation fuel and ground handling services, in addition to ancillary services like chauffeur services provided free for its first and business class passengers.
Emirates will shortly be holdings its fourth recruitment day for 2013, with dozens of hopefuls turning up and a select few being chosen. It employs 130 Maltese in all, including 89 cabin crew and 11 flight deck crew, with 13 people employed in Malta.
What comes next? Is the airline considering using Malta as a stepping stone to any other destinations? Mr Fleri Soler was non-committal, but going by the developments in the past 15 years, he is clearly optimistic for the future of the Malta route.
Emirates for business
Emirates is introducing a new scheme called Business Rewards. This scheme is a travel benefits programme tailored to meet the needs of all SMEs and similar-sized organisations.
Each time registered employees book their Emirates flight through Business Rewards, the business or organisation earns Business Rewards Miles, while the individual traveller continues to earn their Miles from Skywards, Emirates frequent flying programme. The business/organisation can then redeem accumulated Business Rewards Miles against future flights on Emirates.
Businesses can enrol at http://emirates.com .