Emirates to Launch Daily Nonstop From Newark to Dubai, Makes Other Adjustments to US Network
Emirates is launching a new nonstop option between Dubai (DXB) and the US. In an announcement on Thursday, the UAE carrier detailed several route adjustments. But most notably, the airline announced that it's launching new nonstop service between DXB and Newark (EWR).
Beginning June 1, 2018, Emirates will launch the new DXB-EWR daily nonstop. The new route will add to Emirates' current operations out of EWR, currently a daily nonstop fifth-freedom route to Athens, Greece (ATH), which continues on to DXB. Operating Emirates' new EWR-DXB nonstop will be one of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft — unfortunately without its new first-class suite. The flight will operate on the following schedule:
- EK223 Dubai (DXB) 3:00am Departure ⇒ Newark (EWR) 9:00am Arrival
- EK224 Newark (EWR) 11:50am Departure ⇒ Dubai (DXB) 8:20am (+1) Arrvial
The Emirates 777-300ER flying this route features eight suites in first class, 42 seats in business class and 306 seats in economy. Check out this TPG review for a look at what the business-class experience is like on the aircraft.
This EWR route addition to DXB comes at the expense of Emirates reducing its frequency to its other New York area airport. Beginning March 25, 2018, Emirates will suspend operation of flights EK207/208, which operated nonstop between JFK and Dubai. Without that nonstop, flown by one of the carrier's A380s, Emirates will operate two daily nonstops between JFK and DXB. It will retain its other route out of JFK — its fifth-freedom nonstop to Milan (MXP) continuing to DXB.
Even with these changes, Emirates will continue to offer three daily nonstops from the greater New York City area to Dubai. However, with the move, Emirates is reducing capacity between DXB and the New York area. The soon-to-be suspended frequency between JFK and DXB is operated by an A380, with a capacity of 489. Instead, it's swapping in a 777-300ER on the new EWR-DXB nonstop, which has a capacity of just 356 passengers.
The move to add the daily nonstop from Newark is good news for the northern New Jersey region. "This is a boon for ethnic communities such as the nearly 700,000 Indian Americans residing in the greater New York area, who will have one-stop access to nine Indian cities on Emirates' global network," Emirates said in its press release.
As part of this announcement, Emirates also detailed plans to resume daily nonstops to both Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO). Effective March 25, 2018, Emirates will add flights to both cities, effectively resuming nonstop daily service between both FLL and MCO and Dubai. Emirates, which once operated daily nonstops on both routes, cut back its frequencies to several US cities in April 2017 after the US electronics ban.
Overall, these announcements are generally positive for travelers both in the New York area and in Florida. Although Emirates is reducing capacity to New York with this move, by adding more service to Newark to complement its existing route to DXB via Athens should be a welcome move — especially for those located in New Jersey.
