Emirates Airline Plans to Operate About 70% Of Capacity by Winter

An Emirates plane is seen at Lisbon's airport, Portugal June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
An Emirates plane is seen at Lisbon's airport, Portugal June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
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Emirates Airline Plans to Operate About 70% Of Capacity by Winter

An Emirates plane is seen at Lisbon's airport, Portugal June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante
An Emirates plane is seen at Lisbon's airport, Portugal June 24, 2016. REUTERS/Rafael Marchante

Emirates plans to operate around 70% of its normal capacity this winter thanks to an expected increase in international travel as countries ease coronavirus restrictions and reopen borders.

Emirates, the world's biggest long-haul airline before the pandemic, has been gradually rebuilding its network of 157 passenger destinations since flights were grounded in March 2020.

It is currently operating to around 120 destinations, though capacity remains limited due to the continued grounding of most of the airline's 118 Airbus A380 superjumbos.

"We already have a plan to get back to almost 70% of our capacity to be recovered by winter 2021," Emirates Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim told reporters on Tuesday.

He did not disclose its current operating capacity, although he added that the airline had a way to go to reach 70%.

Emirates has mainly been operating flights with its 151 Boeing 777s though with passenger demand still at very low levels globally those planes have mostly carried cargo.

Kazim said the airline expects to operate around 30 to 40 Airbus A380s over the summer, more than what it is currently operating.

The restoration of capacity largely depends on countries easing coronavirus restrictions and whether they permit international travel.



Gazprom, CNPC Discuss Future Russian Gas Supplies to China

A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo
A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo
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Gazprom, CNPC Discuss Future Russian Gas Supplies to China

A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo
A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo

The heads of Russia's Gazprom and China's energy company CNPC discussed future Russian gas supplies to China during talks in Beijing, Gazprom said on Friday, as Moscow seeks stronger ties with the world's biggest energy consumer.

Russia, the holder of world's largest gas reserves, has diverted oil supplies from Europe to India and China since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters said.

At the same time, Russia's diversification of pipeline natural gas from the European Union has been slow.

It started gas exports to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline in the end of 2019 and plans to reach the pipeline's annual exporting capacity of 38 billion cubic meters this year.

Russia and China have also agreed on exports of 10 bcm of gas from Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin starting from 2027.

However, years of talks about the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which would ship 50 bcm of gas per year to China via Mongolia, have yet to be concluded as the two sides disagree over issues such as the gas price.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China in early September to participate in celebrations marking the anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War II.

The trip follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow in May.