Emirates to Launch Transatlantic Link between Milan and New York

United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrier Emirates Airline will once again launch direct transatlantic flights between mainland Europe and North America with a new daily flight between Milan Malpensa and New York John F Kennedy International from October 1, 2013. The carrier previously operated non-stop flights to New York from Hamburg between March 2006 and October 2008 but suspended the route due to indirect competition and pressure from German national carrier Lufthansa.

Emirates Airline currently offers three daily flights between its Dubai International Airport hub and Milan Malpensa and this new service to New York will be an extension of one of these existing flights. It will mean daily flights to New York will also increase to three rotations per day, supplementing its two non-stop flights from Dubai International, which are now both operated using Airbus A380 equipment to meet current market conditions.

The new route will provide another important connection between Continental Europe and the US, allowing Emirates to capitalise on the significant traffic flow between these cities and giving both leisure and business travellers more choice and added convenience. In addition to the existing passenger market between Milan and New York, Emirates has timed its flight schedule to ensure maximum connectivity for other key feeder markets, including connection options across the US West Coast in partnership with JetBlue Airways, and across Europe through a frequent flyer arrangement with easyJet.

“Operating a trans-Atlantic route has been on our agenda for some time. Having carefully monitored traffic flows we have identified strong demand for both a direct connection and, importantly, for the Emirates product. The route is currently underserved, particularly with a strong premium product offering this is where we see a clear opening for Emirates. We intend to capitalise on this opportunity, stimulating further demand and encouraging additional traffic flow in both directions,” said Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline.

“Operating a trans-Atlantic route has been on our agenda for some time.  Having carefully monitored traffic flows we have identified strong demand for both a direct connection and, importantly, for the Emirates product.  The route is currently underserved, particularly with a strong premium product offering this is where we see a clear opening for Emirates.  We intend to capitalise on this opportunity, stimulating further demand and encouraging additional traffic flow in both directions.”

Tim Clark
President, Emirates Airline

The transatlantic sector will be flown with a Boeing 777-300ER, configured with eight seats in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class and 310 seats in Economy Class. This will increase seat capacity on the Milan Malpensa – New York JFK route by 52.6 per cent and will see Emirates compete directly on a daily basis with Alitalia, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

As Tim Clark mentioned, the carrier expects its strong premium offering will enable it win traffic and stimulate the market further. In 2012 an estimated 275,000 bi-directional O&D passengers travelled on the route between Milan Malpensa and New York JFK, up 1.8 per cent on the previous year. During the 12 month period the estimated demand from First Class and Business Class passengers was 2.4 per cent and 12.0 per cent, respectively. Interestingly, the same proportion of traffic in the premium cabins on the Dubai International – New York JFK was notably higher at 5.3 and 15.7 per cent, respectively.

Emirates says Dubai originating passengers will be able to enjoy a stopover in Milan en-route to New York, while on the return flight, passengers will have the option of stopping in Milan before continuing on to Dubai. This one-stop service has proved popular on some other Emirates’ routes, giving passengers the opportunity to experience a new destination or to break their journey on longer trips. The two cities share more than just their love of food, fashion and design, with New York being home to the largest Italian community in America. As well as offering excellent connections for business travellers or people visiting friends and family, this new service is expected to be popular with leisure travellers who can take in the sights of multiple cities with one convenient air ticket.

“This new route is the perfect marriage of two likeminded cities. Both destinations offer visitors a dynamic mix of culture and business and we are confident that this new service will not only facilitate travel in both directions, but will also create a greater exchange of business, trade and tourism,” said Clark.

“Since we launched services to New York in 2004, demand has grown steadily. We recently introduced a double daily A380 service on this route to meet the increased demand and now is the right time to launch an additional flight, operating via Milan. Not only do we see existing potential from expatriate traffic but we are also acutely aware of the business potential that can be tapped from the wider catchment areas, thanks to our convenient flight schedule,” he added

ENAC (the Italian Civil Aviation Authority) has authorised the services between Milan Malpensa and New York JFK on an extra-bilateral basis and Emirates is confident that over the next 18 months an evaluation will demonstrate significant economic benefits for the Italian economy, exporters, tourism and airports. “We greatly appreciate the support of ENAC and think it will have a very positive impact on the Italian air transport market and airports,” said Clark.

In the table below we highlight the O&D demand for air services between Dubai International and New York JFK and between Milan Malpensa and New York JFK and how this has fluctuated over the past five years.