Emirates has announced a major expansion to its winter 2025–26 flight schedule between Dubai and London Heathrow, increasing operations to 48 weekly flights. The enhancement responds to strong passenger and cargo demand, reaffirming London as one of Emirates’ busiest long-haul destinations and a critical link in its global network connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Expanded Services and Fleet Deployment

The airline will operate seven daily services plus one additional weekly flight, using a mix of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Most flights will continue to feature the iconic A380, offering Emirates’ signature four-class layout — First Class private suites, Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class.

The increase will add more than 20,000 extra weekly seats on the route while boosting cargo capacity, supporting high-value trade in goods such as pharmaceuticals, perishables, and electronics. Each A380 flight can carry approximately 850 cubic meters of freight, strengthening ties between British and Middle Eastern markets.

Updated Flight Timings

As part of the expanded schedule, Emirates has released the following timings for its flights between Dubai (DXB) and London Heathrow (LHR):

EK41 (Dubai to London Heathrow):

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday: Departs 1:40 PM, arrives 5:40 PM
• Thursday: Departs 12:55 PM, arrives 4:55 PM

EK42 (London Heathrow to Dubai):

• Monday, Wednesday, Sunday: Departs 10:35 PM, arrives 9:35 AM next day
• Tuesday, Saturday: Departs 9:20 PM, arrives 8:20 AM next day
• Thursday: Departs 9:20 PM, arrives 8:20 AM next day

All timings are local to departure and arrival cities.

Global Connectivity and Market Reach

The revised schedule is strategically timed to enhance connectivity for travellers from key regional and Asian cities such as Ahmedabad, Lahore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Male (Maldives), Beijing, and Shanghai, ensuring shorter layovers and more convenient transfer options through Dubai International Airport.

Emirates continues to play a pivotal role as a global connector, offering seamless links through its codeshare agreements with British Airways and Qantas Airways, enabling passengers to connect from London to dozens of destinations across Europe, North America, and Australasia.

Travel Demand and Market Trends

Travel demand between the UAE and the UK has surged in 2025, with passenger numbers up more than 20% year-on-year, according to data from Heathrow Airport. The UK remains one of Dubai’s top five source markets, attracting over 1.5 million visitors annually, according to the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). The increase in flights comes ahead of the COP29 climate summit and the peak winter holiday season, traditionally a strong travel period for both business and leisure passengers.

Emirates’ investment in Premium Economy has also proven successful among UK travellers, who seek enhanced comfort at competitive prices. The expansion coincides with the airline’s ongoing multi-billion-dollar cabin retrofit project, gradually introducing upgraded A380 interiors across European routes.

Strategic Vision and Competitive Position

Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates, emphasized the strategic importance of this route:
“London remains one of our most crucial gateways. Expanding our operations for the winter schedule ensures travellers enjoy greater flexibility, improved timings, and better connection opportunities through Dubai, one of the world’s busiest international hubs.”

Industry analysts see the expansion as a part of Emirates’ broader network optimization strategy, focusing on strengthening high-performance markets linking Europe and Asia amidst increasing competition from British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Qatar Airways.

Emirates’ UK Footprint

Emirates operates flights to six UK airports — London Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow — totalling over 125 weekly flights between the UK and Dubai. This enhanced capacity reinforces Emirates’ leadership position as one of the top foreign carriers operating in the UK market and a critical bridge connecting passengers and goods between continents.

SalamAir has announced the establishment of Salalah’s first-ever airline base, marking a major step in the airline’s expansion and strengthening direct international connectivity from Oman’s Dhofar Governorate.

The new Salalah-based operation will initially serve three international destinations: Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Chattogram in Bangladesh and Calicut in India. Bookings opened on August 26, with flights scheduled to begin from the end of October as part of SalamAir’s Winter 2026 schedule.

The base follows SalamAir’s expanded operations during the 2026 Khareef season, when the airline increased capacity on the Muscat-Salalah route to as many as 15 daily flights during peak periods.

The airline also introduced special domestic fares for Omani nationals, with one-way tickets starting from OMR 9.99, supporting affordable travel between Muscat and Salalah.

The new base is expected to extend SalamAir’s role beyond the Khareef season by supporting year-round travel demand among residents and expatriate communities in Dhofar while offering more direct access to key regional and international destinations.

Operations from Salalah will be supported by SalamAir’s Airbus A320neo and A321neo fleet. The airline currently operates 18 aircraft, providing additional flexibility to support growing demand across its network.

During the winter season, SalamAir will also operate charter flights linking Salalah with Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan, supporting inbound tourism from Central Asia.

The Salalah base forms part of SalamAir’s wider strategy to expand its network from key airports across Oman, develop underserved markets and stimulate new travel demand while supporting the growth of the Sultanate’s aviation and tourism sectors.

Source: ZAWYA

Kenya Airways is expected to announce details of potential new investors within weeks as the loss-making carrier seeks fresh capital to ease debt pressures, return grounded aircraft to service and fund its restructuring programme.

Chairman Kiprono Kittony said the airline has received interest from both local and international investors willing to provide capital and other resources.

The planned investment comes as Kenya Airways faces rising fuel costs, maintenance delays and shortages of spare parts that have constrained capacity despite strong passenger demand.

The carrier reported a pre-tax loss of 15.92 billion Kenyan shillings ($123 million) in the first half of 2026, compared with a loss of 12.17 billion shillings in the same period a year earlier.

Kenya Airways said fuel costs increased 72% during the first half of 2026 amid the Middle East conflict, with fuel accounting for up to half of its overall costs. The conflict also disrupted the delivery of spare parts and maintenance services.

Kittony said investors from the United States, China, South Africa and Singapore had expressed interest. The airline plans to conduct a transparent process because it is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange.

He said Kenya Airways expects to secure both a capital-raising partner and a strategic aviation partner.

A key element of the restructuring plan will involve strengthening the airline’s balance sheet, potentially including the conversion of principal debt owed to the Kenyan government and a consortium of local banks into equity.

The Kenyan government is currently the airline’s largest shareholder. Kittony stressed that maintaining significant government ownership would be important to preserving Kenya Airways’ status as the country’s national carrier.

Source: ZAWYA