Denpasar/Dubai: Dubai’s flagship airline, Emirates, announced Wednesday that it will introduce a second daily A380 service between Dubai and Bali from September 1 to October 26 to accommodate the increased travel demand during the peak season.
The airline said Emirates’ flight EK398/399 between Dubai International Airport and Bali’s Denpasar International Airport will be upgraded to an Airbus A380, replacing the current Boeing 777 service.
“The upgraded service will build upon the success of Emirates' first-ever A380 service to Indonesia, launched on June 1, 2023, while driving more inbound traffic to Bali during one of the busiest times of the year,” the airline said.
With the double A380 service, the airline boosts its weekly seat capacity to 2,600 additional seats to and from the island.
Emirates launched the non-stop daily service from Dubai to Bali in 2015, adding to its scheduled flights to Jakarta, which began in 1992. Emirates flies to more than 144 destinations across six continents and offers double daily flights to Jakarta and Bali.
Growing tourism numbers
Earlier this week, the Department of Economy and Tourism announced that the Emirate welcomed 9.31 million overnight international visitors from January to June, up by about 9 per cent annually. This growth continues the momentum from a record-breaking 2023 when the city hosted 17.15 million international visitors.
From January to June 2024, proximity markets in GCC and MENA had a combined 26 per cent share of overall visitors, with 1.27 million (14 per cent) and 1.09 million (12 per cent) arrivals, respectively. Western Europe accounted for 20 percent of visitors to Dubai, with 1.89 million in total. South Asia was another primary source market, with 1.62 million visitors (17 per cent), as was CIS and Eastern Europe with 1.37 million (15 per cent).
North-East and Southeast Asia grew from an 8 per cent share at the beginning of the year to a 10 per cent share (896,000) of total visitors by the end of H1 2024, driven by solid recovery from China. Other regions also saw a rise in visitation to Dubai, including the Americas with 617,000 (7 per cent), Africa with 404,000 (4 per cent) and Australasia with 154,000 (2 per cent).
