Emirates over the years has flown innumerous fifth freedom of the sky’s routes. Some of its most successful ones have historically involved flights from southeast Asia to Australia. Soon though there won’t be any at all left in the Emirates route network, following surprise news coming out of Singapore. Here’s the lowdown.
Emirates Will Exit the Singapore to Melbourne Flight Market
I must admit it was quite the surprise to read that Emirates will be abandoning its last standing service from Asia to Australia. This is one of the longest standing operations the Dubai based airline has operated between the two regions. With Singapore to Melbourne flights axed Emirates will no longer have any fifth freedom flights to Australia but only direct services from its home DXB.
The cat was let out of the bag by a CCCS’s (Competition and Consumer Committee of Singapore) press release with which Emirates requested to rescind its agreement to operate the Singapore Melbourne route. That means that flight EK404, that currently flies daily on the Dubai-Singapore-Melbourne route will cease to operate.
When I used to work for Emirates the airline used to have even a second fifth freedom flight from southeast Asia. That was the extremely long multi-sector Dubai-Bangkok-Sydney-Christchurch service. Fast forward little more than ten years and both are history.
We still don’t know exactly when flight EK404 from Singapore to Melbourne will cease to operate, but I can’t imagine it being too far into the future.
Why Is EK Abandoning the Singapore to Melbourne Route?
Even when Emirates exits the market there will be more than enough options this sector. Actually that is one of the reasons that pushed the Dubai-based airline to give up on this service. Come Emirates exit from the Singapore to Melbourne route exit these airlines will still be operating the sector:
- Turkish Airlines – 3 weekly flights.
- JetStar – 7 weekly flights.
- Qantas – 14 weekly flights.
- Scoot – 12 weekly flights.
- Singapore Airlines – 14 weekly flights.
A total of 50 weekly flights with an average of over 7 daily services. That is just a massive number of flights. That figure already takes out of the equasion Emirates’ daily service. This evergrowin competition on the route has eroded the airlines’ operating margins, as the airline stated, with it only getting worse with growing pressure from the Singapore Airlines Group and Turkish Airlines’ entry on the route.
Having new customers, that wouldn’t otherwise fly Emirates, exposed to the brand isn’t enough to justify the reducing margins on the route.
Now the only question left to answer is: what will Emirates do with its slot in Melbourne airport? I doubt it will just leave it to another airline or competitor. I think it’s far more likely that the airline will start a new direct service from Dubai International Airport. Maybe initially on a smaller plane, such as the brand new A350-900s to then upgrade to something with more capacity further down the line.
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