United Arab Emirates (UAE) operator Emirates Airline is to inaugurate flights to the Russian city of St Petersburg from its Dubai International Airport base from November 1; the most northerly destination in its entire network. The carrier will offer a daily service using a combination of three-class Airbus A330-200s and A340-300s.
Emirates already offers two flight per day to Moscow, a route it launched in 2003 and which carried an estimated 224,000 O&D passengers in the past year. An estimated 20,000 O&D passengers travelled between Dubai and St Petersburg in the past year, a route already served by Rossiya Airlines three times weekly during the winter season.
“We see great potential in Russia and the success of our Moscow flights has demonstrated that there is still demand from this market,” said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group. “We have been considering launching a non-stop service to St Petersburg for some time and we believe that the conditions are now right to do so. This is a city which attracts many tourists and cruise visitors every year because of its grand architecture, arts and culture and fascinating history.”
St Petersburg is estimated to be the third largest city in Europe with a population of around 4.6 million residents. Passenger demand is expected to be mostly tourist driven, but also boosted by the oil and manufacturing sectors and from the city's significant expatriate community. The UAE is a major destination for Russian tourists and investors and thousands have made it their home. The new St Petersburg service will further satisfy that demand, while providing better links with key markets across Asia.
The airline will also generate options for its freight subsidiary Emirates SkyCargo, through bellyhold space on its widebodied aircraft. A diverse range of commodities, such as pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, garments, electronics and flowers are likely to be imported from markets like Japan, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Africa, Ethiopia and New Zealand. In the operation direction the flights will ease the export of spare parts for power stations, aircraft and ships, along with tobacco products, are expected to move in the other direction heading to destinations like Japan, India, China, Vietnam and Angola.
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