Emirates expands global reach through new partnerships beyond Dubai hub

The airline plans to introduce flights to Shenzhen in China, Da Nang in Vietnam, and Siem Reap in Cambodia as part of its expansion into Asia. This will increase the number of destinations served in Asia and the Pacific to 49.

Emirates has activated a reciprocal codeshare partnership with Condor for the summer season of 2025. This agreement provides Emirates customers access to additional destinations like Frankfurt and Hamburg while offering Condor customers connectivity from Dubai to places such as Bali and Cape Town.

The new arrangement with Air Seychelles allows seamless connections from Mahé to Praslin Island for Emirates customers. Sandy Benoiton, CEO of Air Seychelles said: "This codeshare agreement not only simplifies travel for our customers but also showcases our commitment to making Seychelles more accessible to travelers from around the world." Adnan Kazim added: "Our codeshare partnership with Air Seychelles will provide customers with seamless connections to Praslin Island."

Emirates' fifth freedom flights allow passengers not traveling through the Middle East to experience their widebody services on routes like Sydney-Christchurch and Milan-New York.

Despite focusing on operations based in Dubai supplemented by partnerships and fifth freedom flights, Emirates plans a future relocation of its hub within Dubai. Paul Griffiths stated: “The way the city is growing is towards the south... It is quite probable that once the transition is complete, DXB will close.”

The move aims for a capacity of 260 million passengers at Al Maktoum International Airport by 2034 at a cost of $35 billion.

Additionally, Emirates recently signed a preliminary deal with Crypto.com for cryptocurrency payments on flights as part of efforts targeting young consumers interested in digital transactions.