Emirates progressed on its recovery path in 2021, rebuilding its passenger network to 128 cities by December including a new route to Miami launched in July.
At the end of 2021, all of Emirates' 133 Boeing 777 aircraft and nearly 60 of its A380 fleet are in active service. In addition, over 120 Emirates Lounges and partner facilities have re-opened to serve Emirates' premium customers and frequent flyers, says a press release..
"Despite the recent rise of the Omicron variant and the slight slowdown it brought to our network, we are going into 2022 with optimism. We've built up some great momentum this year and expect business growth pick up speed in 2022. Aviation has always been resilient, and we will continue to work with our industry partners to build back better for our customers and communities," the press release quoted Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates' Chairman and Chief Executive as saying.
This year, Emirates extended its generous rebooking waivers, the expiry of frequent flyer miles and tier status, and complimentary COVID-19 medical cover for all customers. Emirates also accelerated digital initiatives to provide customers with smoother and safer journeys - being the first airline to implement the IATA Travel Pass solution across its network on six continents.
Emirates ran programmes to encourage its workforce to vaccinate to protect themselves and their communities and enable a safe return to travel. In February, Emirates operated a special flight operated by fully vaccinated employees to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination.
By December, Emirates had transported 600 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines on its flights to over 80 destinations including over 33 million to Bangladesh.
Helping travellers access even more destinations, Emirates joined hands with new interline and codeshare partners - Aeromar, airBaltic, Airlink, Azul, Cemair, Garuda, Gulf Air, South African Airways, TAP Portugal; and reinforced existing strategic partnerships with Qantas and flydubai. Emirates also signed agreements and launched initiatives to support tourism to Seychelles, Maldives, Indonesia and Costa Rica.
In January, Emirates' Premium Economy entered service to a hugely positive response. In November, it announced a major retrofit programme to equip 105 aircraft with Premium Economy seats and latest cabin interiors to ensure the Emirates experience remains best-in-sky.
In October, Emirates hosted global aviation security stakeholders at the 5th AVESEC Global Symposium to share best practice in strengthening capabilities amid pandemic challenges. Emirates also continued to support Intelak and Aviation X-lab - incubator programmes focused on future solutions for travel and aviation. The Airline is showcasing future aviation technology concepts at its Pavilion at World Expo Dubai.
Emirates in 2021 has fully restored its frequency and capacity to Bangladesh, operating 3 daily flights with wide body aircraft.
