The UAE and Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) permitting more flights to operate between both countries.
Signed on March 21, the MoU will allow a phased increase of 56 frequencies per week for each country.
As a result, Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways in the UAE, and Australian flag carrier Qantas will be permitted to operate 112 weekly frequencies by 2011.
Emirates, which currently flies to Australia 49 times weekly, will build up to 84 weekly services over the next four years, while Etihad, which launched its inaugural thrice weekly service from Abu Dhabi to Sydney on March 26, increasing to daily from June 29, will fly to Australia 28 times weekly by 2010.
“We will seriously consider in the months ahead whether we fly twice daily to Sydney from next year or operate to another Australian city,” said Etihad CEO James Hogan.A
In addition to the UAE securing increased air rights to Australia, Doha-based carrier Qatar Airways has also won the right to fly Down Under after months of lobbying the Australian Government for the privilege.
The airline will start flying to Melbourne later this year and will be permitted to operate services to a second Australian city, probably Sydney, next year. A launch date is yet to be confirmed and Qatar Airways has also declined to reveal whether the service will operate direct to Melbourne from Doha or via an Asian hub.
The onslaught of flights from the Gulf to Australia will fill the void left by European carriers that have pulled out of the Australasian market of late.
British Airways is the only European carrier to fly to the destination after Austrian Airlines ditched its three times weekly service on March 24.
Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Gulf Air (which also flies to Sydney daily) are all expected to aggressively market their Australia services to the European market, particularly in the destinations where they are offering one-stop services to Oz for the first time.
For example, when Etihad starts flying four times weekly to Dublin from August 3, it will represent the first time a one-stop service to Sydney has been offered by any carrier from the Irish capital.
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