On September 1, 2025, Emirates, the world’s largest worldwide airline, marked Silver Jubilee, aviation hyperlinks with Chennai. What started as a 174-seat service on September 1, 2000 Airbus A310-300 service – 4 flights per week, the airline’s third vacation spot in India expanded to 3 flights a day, changing into the 777-300ER 400-PLUS SEAT service (at present 21 flights per week). In October 1985, the airline primarily based the primary route community on flights from Dubai to New Delhi and Mumbai. At present, we’ll fly to 6 extra locations (Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram). In an unique electronic mail interview Hindus, Mohammad SarhanVice President of India and Nepal, Emirates stated the airline continues to help Chennai’s increasing position in commerce, know-how, manufacturing and firms by offering seamless international connections by way of Dubai hubs and entry to new markets. Sarhan stated the airline hopes {that a} assessment of the present bilateral aviation providers settlement with India will permit airways to satisfy the rising demand for journey and freight.
What are the milestones within the airline’s operation to Chennai? That is additionally a journey that runs in parallel with the event of the town and its airport infrastructure.
Emirates celebrates its 25-year enterprise into Chennai, a journey that has advanced alongside the rise of the town as the principle metropolitan centre of India, starting on September 1, 2000. Through the years, the demand for worldwide connectivity from Chennai has steadily elevated, pushed by the town’s rising position in commerce, know-how, manufacturing and companies. Now we have supported this development by offering seamless international connections, permitting companies to entry new markets, and offering extra alternative and comfort to vacationers.
As the town’s airport infrastructure advanced and passenger expectations advanced, it was capable of supply metropolis vacationers a premium and opulent journey possibility. Persevering with investments in strengthening our services have helped us keep buyer loyalty on this aggressive market. This dedication additionally continued to play a significant position in Chennai’s development story, making certain that the town was linked to consistency and care.
Regardless of rising demand for worldwide journey throughout India and our means to satisfy it, plans to broaden providers to new cities and airports are pending. Eradicating this risk requires coverage help, notably by way of revisions to the cap on the bilateral aviation providers contract between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
What are the tendencies/information for passenger actions from the town? On this regard, how does Chennai fare in comparison with different “competitor airports” within the southern areas akin to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi? Is the expansion of Bengaluru Airport and its “higher infrastructure” an element, particularly as it’s the solely southern airport with the common Airbus A380 operation?
Since launching service in September 2000, Emirates has carried over 10.7 million passengers between Dubai and Chennai on greater than 38,000 flights. This highlights the sturdy and resilient demand for the town’s worldwide connectivity. Key outbound locations in Chennai are San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, Dallas, Boston, Seattle, Paris, London, Manchester and Frankfurt. Along with Kuwait, Emirates additionally helps sturdy inbound flows from the identical main markets to Chennai, highlighting its position as a bridge between journey, commerce and cultural alternate.
Chennai continues to be a key market in South India, backed by a wholesome mixture of enterprise vacationers, leisure seekers, essential customer mates and kinfolk (VFR) segments. Bengaluru and Hyderabad have grown quickly with new infrastructure and extra capabilities, together with the Airbus A380 enterprise in Bengaluru, however Chennai has retained its energy with a big outbound base, strong commerce exercise and a rising desire for premium journey. Emirates works intently with these wants to make sure constant connectivity and repair to its clients throughout the town.
What are the info within the context of regional commerce, tourism and financial development?
Emirates continues to play a key position in strengthening Chennai’s place on the worldwide journey map. Via our giant worldwide community, we not solely carry vacationers from all over the world to cities, but in addition contribute meaningfully to the native financial system by supporting hospitality, retail and associated industries. Moreover, the devoted air freight sector, Emirates Skycargo, serves as an essential enabler for companies and farmers in Tamil Nadu by offering entry to worldwide markets. Final fiscal yr, Emirates’ Skycargo raised 19,300 tonnes of cargo from Chennai, consisting of contemporary fruit and veggies, medicines and basic cargo. By selling the export of contemporary produce and produce, and enabling native companies to achieve new clients all over the world, we drive commerce, help livelihoods and promote financial development within the area.
What’s the strategic significance of Chennai-Dubai routes and passenger demographics? It’s also a station with price range service actions. How a lot of this was the trigger? The airline can be the one widebody operator on this route.
The Chennai Dubai route is strategically important for the Emirates because it serves as an essential gateway connecting South India to its international community. The passenger combine ranges from enterprise vacationers and professionals working within the Center East to leisure passengers and vacationers connecting to long-distance locations in North America and Europe. Though there are numerous low-cost airways out there in Chennai, their providers focus totally on point-to-point journey. Emirates distinguishes itself by being the one widebody operator on this route, providing larger consolation, cargo capability and, most significantly, seamless one-stop connectivity to the US, Europe and past.
There was a constant demand that the UAE had made for the liberal aviation providers settlement. What’s your opinion?
We acknowledge the sturdy and rising demand for air connectivity between India and the United Arab Emirates, reflecting the deep financial, cultural and people-to-people relationships between the 2 international locations. Emirates has all the time been dedicated to supporting this development by offering world-class connectivity and strengthening the hyperlinks between commerce and tourism. We hope that critiques of present bilateral aviation providers contracts between the 2 international locations will higher meet the rising demand.
What did the airline do by way of buyer expertise, airport partnerships and repair innovation? What about airline partnerships?
Emirates continues to boost its end-to-end journey with its expanded ice cream (“Info, Connectivity, Leisure,” Leisure Platform, Intuitive Digital Touchpoints, and Accessibility Initiatives. Latest first-class upgrades embody unique wine origins with tasting profiles and pairings, elegant and carved by Robert Welch. There’s a memorial menu that includes engraved caviar service put on and a newly unveiled “Emirates First” check-in at Dubai T3. Because the world’s largest worldwide first-class operator, the expertise contains non-public suites, Dom Perignon, Bulgarian menist kits, Bailedo skincare, Lee Flatbed, Hydra Lively Pajamas, Bowers, Wilkins headphones, award-winning leisure, A380 bathe spa, and on-board lounges.
Enterprise class enhancements complement this with totally false seats, aisle entry in all seats on the Airbus A380, gourmand multi-course eating with wine pairings, precedence airport service and entry to premium lounges. The region-inspired menu contains genuine Tamil delicacies to replicate the varied clientele of Chennai. Service innovation extends to synthetic intelligence-enabled operational analytics, smarter disruption restoration, and streamlined check-in and doc verification, bettering reliability whereas sustaining excessive security and repair requirements.
For the partnership, it deepened business cooperation between codeshares, promoted cooperation, elevated connectivity for one ticket, aligned baggage insurance policies with secondary and leisure markets, and was complemented by a strong joint community with native companions. Now we have constructed one of many business’s most in depth partnership networks, with codeshares and collaborations with a wide range of airways and journey companions, together with airways akin to United, Air Canada, Qantas (Australia), and Korean Airways.
World connectivity from Chennai is a significant component, and direct connectivity is essential on this. There may be additionally a transfer to focus this on a fleet of India-based Newbody long-range plane by way of Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, in an effort to get again “hub visitors” from the United Arab Emirates/Dubai. How does the airline handle this? It additionally competes with different “Center Japanese heavyweights”: Etihad, Qatar Airways and now Riyad Air, and their hub plans.
Emirates is tackling this evolving panorama by prioritizing what’s most essential to vacationers from Chennai. A dependable one-stop international attain by way of a large schedule, and a constant, glorious widebody expertise connecting to lengthy distance locations in North America, Europe, Africa and the Center East. Our in depth community and partnerships allow seamless end-to-end journey, with continued funding in facilities, community width, time efficiency and robust security requirements sustaining an elevated desire for our providers. Together with Dubai’s excellence as a business and tourism hub, these strengths help the strategy to competitors and guarantee Chennai’s resilient connectivity.
What are the tendencies in cargo motion from the town? The actions of prescribed drugs and digital items are essential. Dubai’s cargo hubs are additionally being developed with the idea of speedy turnaround time. There may be additionally a relatively sturdy motion of different cargo carriers, together with Chinese language airways.
Since its founding, Emirates Sky Cargo has been a facilitator of world commerce. With Chennai, we drive 21 flights per week, so we will transfer cargo to the stomach of passenger plane and transport it to over 145 locations all over the world by way of Dubai. Final yr, 19,300 tonnes of cargo was raised from Chennai, which is principally made up of contemporary fruit and veggies, medicines and basic cargo. Conversely, it imported greater than 16,400 tons of largely widespread cargo and blended meals.
Airways have seen huge transforming packages that result in recycling/upcycling of plane supplies. One such programme was the donation of college luggage in North India. Are there any plans for Chennai or Tamil Nadu?
Earlier this yr, Noida donated 400 restricted version backpacks to underprivileged faculty kids by way of the Smile Basis. These luggage have been handcrafted by Emirates Engineering utilizing upcycled supplies from modified Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 plane. The airline additionally supplied faculty stationery and fundamental hygiene merchandise, and distributed them as a part of the airline’s broader sustainability and neighborhood initiatives.
The “Emirates Plane Kids” program has already arrived at colleges in a number of international locations within the Center East, Africa and Asia, together with India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It has lately been expanded to Egypt, with 800 luggage being distributed till August 1, 2025. In Chennai, our dedication to the neighborhood is mirrored by way of a partnership between the Emirates Air Basis and the Neighborhood Well being Training Affiliation (CHES). Collectively, they based the Emirates Chess home. It gives a secure and safe atmosphere for greater than 100 poor kids, together with deserted HIV-positive kids within the metropolis. The house ensures that they obtain the care, medical help and dignity they deserve.
What steps did the airline take within the context of engaged on wildlife commerce? Was there an influence as a result of there could also be some wildlife smuggling seizures at Chennai Airport?
Emirates has a powerful stance in opposition to the unlawful wildlife commerce and has taken strong measures throughout its international community. The airline implements strict screening protocols, equips frontline employees with specialised coaching, and maintains a zero-tolerance coverage relating to the transport of prohibited species and searching trophies. In 2023, Emirates grew to become one of many few airways to win the Ienva Unlawful Wildlife Commerce (IWT) module certification, which United permitted for wildlife.
On the bottom, my colleagues at DNATA (Dubai Nationwide Air Journey Agent, a world aviation and journey service supplier) are skilled within the Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation’s Residing Animal Regulation and Emirates inside insurance policies. Emirates additionally performs an lively position at United for the Wildlife Transportation Job Drive, strengthening business cooperation in opposition to human trafficking.
