Qantas and Emirates celebrate second anniversary

Dubai — Qantas and Emirates on Thursday celebrated the second anniversary of its world leading airline partnership with more than two million codeshare customers travelling on both carriers since the partnership’s launch.

The partnership between Emirates and Qantas has seen both airlines benefit from their cooperation as it helps to boost tourism and trade for Australia and the UAE, according to a senior aviation analyst. “Qantas’ traffic shift away from loss making hubs like Singapore and now routing flights to Europe through Dubai has bolstered their financial performance and now Qantas International has stepped out of the red and into the black,” Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at Strategic Aero Research, told Khaleej Times. Earlier this year, Qantas Airways declared its best first-half profit in four years as its cost-cutting programme bore fruit and lower oil prices trimmed fuel expenses. Qantas reported $289 million profit before tax for June to December period. The result reflects a faster-than-anticipated recovery following last year’s record A$2.8 billion net loss.

“Emirates has had its traffic numbers swell too thanks to additional passengers that would have previously used Singapore for transit now coming to Dubai International. Not only does this help the airport maintain its prime position as the world’s busiest hub, but Emirates too gains thanks to additional revenue and connecting flights,” Ahmad explained.

It’s a win-win partnership for both airlines and it’s likely they will extend this pact beyond 2018 and there’s no reason why it won’t be granted since the spinoff benefits for passengers is immense, he said.Qantas International CEO Gareth Evans said the partnership has achieved benefits for customers offering an integrated network, opportunities to earn and redeem points and is setting the standard in customer experience. “Customer satisfaction levels have reached record heights with a double-digit increase in advocacy scores being received by international travelers as Qantas continues to develop its partnership strategy.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com