Is the Emirates-Qantas Partnership in Rough Skies?
Joe Cortez September 14, 2017
Analysis suggests two airlines no longer need mutual support.
With shifts in the international partnership between Emirates and Qantas, at least one analyst believes that the two airlines no longer need each other’s support for growth in Oceania. An editorial by MEED: Middle East Business Intelligence suggests that moves by the two carriers could foreshadow a future limitation of the partnership.
When the original alliance was founded in 2012, Qantas was working under an annual budget deficit, while Emirates sought expansion into Australia. As a result, both airlines grew through increased passenger access across the “Kangaroo Route.”
However, both airlines have made shifts to their routes in looking for new route options. Qantas will shift their eastbound stopover from Dubai to Sydney starting in 2018, while Emirates will add another flight from Dubai to Sydney aboard the Airbus A380.
Furthermore, executives at the Australian airline are looking to cut out the stopover on flights to London by flying over the North Pole, if an aircraft capable of flying that range becomes available by 2022. In turn, Emirates will expand their footprint across the continent to 91 flights to five Australian destinations in the next year.
As a result, the business magazine predicts that the partnership between the two airlines could weaken, if not entirely come to an end. The analyst defends the idea noting that Emirates continues to expand at their home airport, Dubai International Airport (DXB), while expansions continue at the city’s second airport.
Both airlines are not about to call their relationship dead where it stands. According to MEED, the shifts allow passengers access to new markets and more options on the “longest and busiest flight routes.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
@irishguy28 The polar route is more efficient "The polar route is longer than the 9,200 nautical miles (17,038 kilometers) western route but has the benefit of strong tailwinds rather than fierce headwinds."
As usual, another barely readable article. Where's the quality, FlyerTalk? Paragraph 3 - do you mean to say they're shifting their eastbound flight to SINGAPORE instead of Sydney? Also, why even say eastbound if the return flight is through Singapore, too? Paragraph 4 - the north pole is nowhere near the flight route from Australia to London. Paragraph 6 - call the relationship "dead where it stands"? Come on, man. Even if the airlines are in a tense situation with the Aus-LHR flights, the partnership still THRIVES thanks to Australian-Mainland European markets.
A polar route from Australia to Europe? Just because flights from North America to certain places are shorter over the pole, doesn't mean that this is a "short cut" for EVERY routing... http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=syd-lhr;mel-lhr;per-lhr;