Emirates Airline is increasing flights to Newcastle International (NCL) in northeast England, citing a “steady growth in bookings” since resuming service to the UK airport in October 2021.

From Dec. 1, Emirates will boost flying on the Dubai (DXB)-NCL route from 5X-weekly to daily.

Emirates also in October moved NCL departures to DXB to an earlier departure time of 1 p.m., making it easier for passengers to connect to more destinations on the Gulf carrier’s network. The route is operated with a Boeing 777. The DXB-NCL service was originally 4X-weekly when it resumed in 2021. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates operated the route daily,

Emirates divisional VP-UK Richard Jewsbury said in a statement that the carrier expects rising bookings on the route “to continue over the busy Christmas and New Year period.” As of Dec. 1, Emirates will operate 119 weekly flights to the UK.

NCL CEO Nick Jones said Emirates’ Dubai route “has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months,” adding: “We are all pleased that demand for the iconic eastbound service has continued to grow resulting in the return of [Emirates'] pre-pandemic daily schedule … Not only does this investment represent the airline’s confidence in our airport, but opens up even more opportunities for the northeast [England] public to connect to the world via Dubai, in addition to creating even more cargo capacity.”

December will also see the return of easyJet’s service between NCL and Geneva (GVA).

NCL will be served by 17 airlines by the summer 2023 season, when its newest carrier, Turkish leisure carrier SunExpress, is slated to launch flights from Antalya (AYT).