Emirates to resume daily services at Adelaide Airport

A major airline that flies to more than 140 overseas destinations is set to recommence direct flights to Adelaide, injecting a $160m tourism boost and fuelling competition.

Emirates will recommence direct daily flights to and from Adelaide in a $160m boost for tourism, trade and jobs.

The Dubai-Adelaide return service will start from October 28 operated by a Boeing 777-200LR in a multimillion-dollar sign of confidence in the state’s post-pandemic recovery.

Tourism spending from daily direct Emirates flights is estimated to generate more than $62m per year and create more than 315 full-time equivalent tourism-related jobs for South Australians.

Each flight also will have space for 14 tonnes of cargo totalling 196 tonnes weekly between Dubai and Adelaide.

The value of freight exports is estimated to be $98m per year, bringing the total estimated expenditure generated by daily Emirates flights to Adelaide to $160m.

An Emirates Boeing 777.

Emirates flies to more than 140 destinations around the world and will provide Adelaide with connecting flights from the Middle East, UK, Europe, India, and the east coast of the United States.

Emirates first launched its Adelaide services in 2012 and carried more than 165,000 passengers between Dubai and Adelaide in 2019, but ceased in March 2020 soon after the declaration of the pandemic.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said reinstating Emirates flights to Adelaide has been a key priority for the state government.

Passengers waiting to board at Adelaide Airport. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Morgan Sette

“Emirates once again flying daily direct into Adelaide will further drive South Australia’s economic growth – set to deliver an estimated $160m in tourism expenditure and freight exports and create more than 315 full-time tourism-related jobs for South Australians,” he said.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison noted the move is a major milestone in the tourism recovery.

“It is exciting that South Australia will once again feature in Emirates’ global marketing programs, getting more eyes around the world on SA and helping drive an increase in visitors to our state,” she said.

Emirates Boeing 777 business class cabin.

Emirates Divisional Vice President Australasia Barry Brown said the airline is “excited to again service South Australia and provide the state with opportunities across leisure, culture and tourism and support trade growth opportunities through our connection to Dubai and onwards to destinations worldwide.”

“The return of our Adelaide service completes our footprint in Australia serving five points across the country,” he said.

Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox.

Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox noted the move will offer greater competition and choice for travellers, including through Emirates’ codesharing arrangement with Qantas.

“Equally it creates significant tourism and wider economic opportunities in attracting international visitors to Adelaide,” he said.

The daily service will offer 302 seats per flight – 38 in business class – and will depart from Dubai at 2am and arrive in Adelaide at 8.50pm, while the return flight will depart from Adelaide at 10.35pm and arrive in Dubai at 5.15am.

The relaunched Emirates flights will bring the number of international airlines flying to Adelaide to 10.

The announcement comes one year after Mr Cox outlined the ambitious Vision 2050 plan for direct flights to 37 cities in coming years.

Adelaide Airport’s Vision 2050 plan.

While he says the chart makes some people “choke on their cornflakes”, the ambition is to make some of the world’s great cities a non-stop flight from Adelaide.

It also follows the airport’s announcement of a $1bn infrastructure plan over five years including an expanded check-in hall with beefed up security area, more gates and a second pick-up and drop-off lane.

More than $500m will go to aviation infrastructure projects designed to increase capacity as passenger numbers near a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels.

About half a billion more will be spent on property developments across the airport precinct.